Escape Isn't Always The Answer
by iluvaqt
Summary: AU Escape S09E15. Oliver takes Chloe away for the weekend where magic, mayhem and confrontations ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Escape Isn't Always The Answer  
**Author:** iluvaqt  
**Rating:** PG-13, eventual M (will mark chapter accordingly)  
**Summary:** Oliver takes Chloe away for the weekend where magic, mayhem and confrontations ensue.  
**Status:** WIP, multicapter  
**Spoilers:** Set after 'Conspiracy' S09E14, possible spoilers for Escape S09E15**  
Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville, nor do I claim to own any other characters therefore owned by DC comics.  
**Notes: **Thanks you to **smallvillefics** & **samanthamt** for encouraging me to go ahead with this anyway. Hopefully my many rewrites of the first few chapters doesn't show too much. For the purposes of this story, I gave Chloe the birth date 25 March.  
**Acknowledgements: **Thank you to **auntyk** for the edit

Oliver felt them falling into a familiar yet frustrating work ethic that left little time for anything else. After confronting her about the missing funds, and discovering her war-ready weapons stockpile, he felt an ever growing rift between them. It wasn't any thing she'd said or done, it's what she hadn't said and what he knew was missing. She finished work before he did and left for the Talon at night. Which meant if he wanted some 'fun', he'd have to travel all the way to Smallville to have it. She hadn't once offered to revisit their arrangement. Not that he necessarily needed to, or expected that from her. He'd felt a shift between them the second he hadn't reciprocated her mood last week. He had retreated. And now, all the work he'd put in to make her comfortable, to romance her, to make her feel desirable had wound back to zero. Or worse, he really didn't feel like thinking about it.

They'd started this arrangement all wrong from the beginning. There were no ground rules. So they were having fun, but without any boundaries it meant there was all this room for assumptions and feelings. He'd kissed her, first stupid move. When he just picked up a girl for sex, he did everything he felt like doing to them, but that never included lip lock. He'd learned early on that it gave the girls the impression that he was into them. He was a guy, he loved sex, but that didn't mean he wanted it from the same girl for the rest of his life, and it was definitely the furthermost thing on his mind in his younger years. If he was being honest, part of his learning curve had come from the fact that he'd been all about himself and the bemoans of women after the fact had him learning how to be a better lover.

So first mistake had been lack of etiquette between them. Second, was that he'd initiated things by kissing her. Third mistake, he'd treated her like a girlfriend by buying her red roses on Valentine's Day. He hadn't thought about it much, he'd just had them sent. Truth was, he didn't know what he was doing with Chloe. Trying to think about it made his head spin. He was attracted to her, he knew that. He thought she had a scarily brilliant mind, she was witty and sassy. She had fire and she was ambitious. He valued her insight and he respected her decisions. It's why he'd given her so much leeway with Watchtower. But now that they'd taken a step to intimacy, he wondered if he could go back to the way things were. Lately that's what it seemed like she wanted.

Trust an ex to screw up the one relationship he thought was infallible and solid. He couldn't blame Mercy though. This was all on him. Chloe's reasoning was sound and while he hated her secrets, she wouldn't have been able to even start her pet project if he'd been paying better attention. And he couldn't expect her to share everything when it was her ability to keep the lid on Pandora's box that had impressed him so much in the first place. While most girls would have been more concerned with their wardrobe, being popular or their grade point average, she'd been playing sidekick, confidant, and self-appointed protector for her alien best friend.

If he really wanted to get at the heart of his frustrations, it was the fact that she seemed to feel the need to still keep him on the outer rim. He thought he'd worked along side her long enough to earn back her trust. He thought he'd proved to her that he was in it for the long haul. That they were partners. When everyone else was either too busy to show up or just plain MIA, he'd stuck by her. Apparently trusting him with her body and her life didn't equate to sharing it.

It was obvious that Tess had decided to switch teams. It meant that they had to be even more careful with their planning. Tess was watching them both now. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd already gone to Zod with the information she had on them as a her in. They knew from the future Lois had seen that Tess was instrumental in helping Zod take over the planet.

But even with this heavy cloud hanging over their heads, he didn't want to forget the reason he'd propositioned her in the first place. Chloe was headed to a dark place. She holed herself up in her tower or at home glued to her computers till only fatigue, hunger or a crisis distracted her. Whatever he was feeling at the moment wasn't important. It hadn't been a whim that caused him to finally act on something he'd been considering for awhile. Instead of trying to put rules on a situation that had clearly run away from him, it was easier to try and just recapture her interest.

He'd been planning a surprise for two weeks now, only to have it all turn on its head the moment he walked through the Watchtower doors to whisk her away. He knew Chloe kept busy juggling their problems and every other eventuality Kandorian-related or otherwise, but he hadn't excepted this turn of events. Considering how hard she'd worked to get their team in order, he shouldn't have been surprised.

Seeing the transformation from post-Davis Chloe to the former, happier, lighter, relaxed Chloe, he just couldn't bring himself to interrupt her surprise party. His plans for her could wait a day or two.

Surrounded by her 'family', the Justice team members, he realized that they were what she'd been missing all along. In a perfect world, maybe what he brought to her table would have been enough, but neither of them where naive. Was there such a thing as happy endings for people like them? They'd seen too much death, been down paths so dark that it was hard to believe there was any light at the end of the tunnel. He couldn't figure out why seeing her this way put such a sting in his chest, but watching her laugh was enough to let his own lips curl up just a little.

Oliver would have never called the place small until it was full of laughter, people talking over each other and food covering every available surface in sight.

Oliver couldn't let himself feel disappointed when it was obvious she was beyond giddy with excitement. Her sparkling smile that rivalled sunshine on a summer day, that had been missing since her wedding day, was in full effect and he was stumped by the radiance of it.

"So what have you two been up to since we've all been off gallivanting around the globe?" Dinah asked casually as she leaned against the small island counter in the kitchenette they had installed two months ago.

Oliver smiled and folded his arms across his chest. "Oh you know, having throw downs with retiring mace wielding superheroes, dodging arrows from old mentors, and generally giving the enemy something to worry about."

Dinah arched an eyebrow. "I meant, you and Chloe."

Oliver pursed his lips and intended to shrug off her statement with an easy deflection but she chuckled at his expression and that had him glaring at her.

"You've been watching her for the past ten minutes, Ollie. You look like you want to shake her or jump her bones, which is it? I'm guessing the only reason she hasn't come over here, is that Bart has her trapped."

Oliver glowered a little at that. He watched as Chloe laughed at something the young man said, and Bart put his arm casually around her shoulders. He knew Bart had a crush on Chloe, and he tended to be a little over the top around any pretty female, but the fact that he was putting moves on Chloe rubbed him up the wrong way.

"Easy there, tiger. He's harmless."

"Doesn't mean Chloe appreciates it," Oliver said evenly, unfolding his arms. He went over to the espresso machine he'd bought her, which she still hadn't used and turned it on. It took time to fill the water, put in the grinds and heat the milk. Chloe didn't make time for it. Not that she hadn't thanked him for the gesture.

'Call me lazy but I just prefer it handed to me. Comes from living over a coffee house half of my adult life,' she had mused with a smile. 'Are you offering to make me coffee?' she'd teased with a twinkle in her eyes. He'd just about kissed her silly right then but instead it had taken him another two weeks to work up the nerve to test the waters.

"I've missed our innuendo and virtual sex by the way."

Oliver bumped the grounds cup, it came loose and clattered to the floor, spilling coffee everywhere. All eyes swept to them and he could have sworn he heard a mouse squeak somewhere in the building.

"Nothing's broken," he said reassuringly, hoping nobody would call him on his uncharacteristically klutzy move.

Dinah smirked down at him as he bent to open a cupboard and pulled out a dust pan, before he began cleaning up the mess. "I guess I know what changed."

Working fast, he dumped the wasted coffee in the trash and put the dust pan away. He stood up and narrowed his eyes at Dinah. "What do you want me to say? You started it Dinah, are you pissed off you didn't get to finish?" he hissed quietly.

She folded her arms over her chest and flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder with a tilt of her head. "Oh I know it was just a game. I'm only trying to figure out if you know what you're doing?"

"I'm making sure she doesn't get in over her head. She's got her eyes glued to those screens, she barely remembers to eat and she doesn't even know what confidential or violation of privacy means anymore."

Dinah huffed. "We've had words. I don't approve of everything she does but I do know that there's no one I trust more. She's looking out for all of us. Which is more than I can say for Clark. While he's off leaving his mark all over Metropolis and making nice with his alien friends, he doesn't even seem to realize that there are spies tracking every move we make."

Oliver couldn't argue her point. While he was happy that Clark had finally decided to get off the farm and use his abilities to help others, he was anything but careful at protecting his identity. He didn't even have a costume. A black leather cape and a t-shirt with an S said super-geek with a Matrix obsession, not crime-fighter with loved ones to protect. In a digital age with global satellite tracking and facial recognition databases, he needed to be more careful. "We're working on it. Just be on the look out. Which is why we need to trust each other. Not spread our resources thin taking on all these solo projects. Did you know about the money Chloe was using?" He asked with the intention of sounding casual. They were supposed to be a team. He wondered if Chloe'd kept them all in the dark or if it was just him.

Dinah shrugged. "I knew she was working on a contingency plan. I assumed it'd be a small loop. If Clark knew about it, I'm sure he would have stopped us. They're weapons designed to kill, Ollie."

"So you were helping her?"

"I had contacts. I helped her design the knives. The lead and titanium composite and the green meteorite blade. There were half a dozen prototypes before we found something that fit the bill for easy handling and throwing accuracy. Blade integrity was a headache. Raw rock was full of fissures and kept breaking. In the end, we had to go for an irradiated fibreglass blade. It's rough and it's not going to win any durability awards but it'll do the job."

"It didn't bother you that these things can kill Clark?"

"Don't be a self righteous ass Oliver. It's not a good look on you. You were the one who made the greenK darts remember? Before then I didn't know Boyscout even had an Achilles heel."

"An electrode dart. Designed to disable, not kill."

"Chloe briefed us on the abduction of the Kandorians and Zod getting shot. You don't think they'll retaliate? Things will get ugly very fast. Clark took out their tower but that doesn't means it ends there. They'll want to protect themselves and they'll find a way. If we were hoping they would assimilate peacefully before, that chance is history now."

"You know I thought that way about Clark once too. With all his abilities, he could conquer the planet. Considering the company he kept, I decided to put my doubts aside and give him a chance. All this alien business freaks the hell out of me but Clark's a good person, Dinah. A lot better than some of us, and he's doing his best to protect everyone. His people included. I don't want to give him any reason not to trust us."

"Neither do I, but it'd be stupid not to be prepared. So I'll say it again, figure things out with Chloe. This team's taken enough direct hits for the foreseeable future. If we're going to survive the coming storm we need to stick together."

Oliver let his gaze fall to the floor. What was he hoping for exactly? He wasn't asking her to be his girlfriend, she'd probably slap him or laugh it off. Her reaction would depend on whether she thought he was being serious or not. The longer he'd just let things simmer between them, the more frustrated he'd become. He knew she wasn't expecting things to go anywhere between them. If anything, she seemed inclined to continue in this nameless secret dalliance until she grew tired of it, which was already a strong possibility. Or she until found someone better suited for the job, say someone tall, dark and mysterious.

Since the embezzlement had been brought to his attention, he'd had an independent auditor keep a closer eye on all of his business holdings. So far there had been no more deductions save for the ones he already knew about; the general running of the team, Watchtower and Emil's expenses. But he knew Chloe. That stockpile was only part of her plan, and now that he'd taken it and hidden it away, she had to be planning something else. He was sure of it. He still had no idea who she'd commissioned to manufacture the weapons, or if there were more containers she hadn't told him about.

"There's nothing going on." Oliver ground his teeth and dared her to continue pushing this issue.

Dinah eyed him through narrowed eyelids and folded her arms across her chest. "I make my living being able to read people. You're not fooling anyone. She's the unofficial team leader, Ollie. You screw things up, it affects all of us. You're a billionaire, you can get booty walking into a coffee shop. Chloe might put on this tough, all business exterior, but it's only because she's been hurt too many times to let herself feel anything. She deserves more than a casual fling."

Oliver snorted. "That's not what's this is."

"Sure," Dinah challenged disbelieving. "Whatever, I'm taking Chloe out."

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her dubiously. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, so you want to know? Sorry, no boys allowed," Dinah said winking over her flute of champagne as she took a long sip.

Chloe sipped out from under Bart's arm and made her way over to them. "Ollie, Dinah and I are going to Atlantis tonight, but the guys are planning to stay here and use the big screen to play Halo OST. You can play Mom and make sure they don't completely trash my set up or you can come join us."

Oliver looked over at AC, Bart and Victor who were already rearranging furniture to have a better view of the screen. As much as he would have preferred to spend her birthday with her, he hadn't spent time with the guys in months. And Chloe deserved a girls night. He only hoped Dinah didn't try to bleed her ears with unflattering talk about him while they were gone. "I know how much it pains you to leave your babies unattended. Don't worry, I'll make sure the guys behave."

Chloe beamed at him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading to her desk to collect her keys and her jacket. Dinah smirked at what he could only imagine was the slightly opened mouthed expression he must have been wearing.

"Breathe, Ollie," Dinah teased quietly with a satisfactory grin.

Oliver put both his hands on the counter top behind him and let out a pent up breath. It was the first time she'd initiated any public display of affection. He didn't know whether to start a victory dance or run away as fast as his heart was racing right now. Was she trying to mark her territory? Chloe'd read his emails to Dinah. Was she jealous? She was so confusing. Was it okay to act how he wanted to in front of the team? What was too much? Was hugging acceptable? If he started kissing her neck with the intention of leaving a mark would she shove him off? The woman wasn't good for his mental health.

He ground his jaw in thought and watched as she shrugged into her green leather jacket. Maybe letting her go out tonight wasn't such a good idea. Certainly not dressed as she was in that creamy short sleeve turtleneck top, tight black pants and zip-up biker chick jacket. She was too attractive; hair rumpled, make-up free and sleepy eyed first thing in the morning. Dressed for the night; curves on show, her short hair set into curls framing her face like a golden halo complete with dazzling smile in place, she'd turned any red-blooded males head.

Oliver pushed himself off the counter and walked briskly to where she stood, putting her bag on her shoulder. "Chloe?"

She looked up at him expectantly, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Have fun," he said huskily, taking her slender shoulders in his hands before he kissed her forehead. The smile never wavered and she put a palm to his chest, letting it rest there for a long moment before she patted him lightly.

"Night Ollie."

They'd come back to the Watchtower around 3 a.m. Oliver had passed out on one of the fold-out couches, he had work at 7, so she wasn't surprised. The rest of the boys were still glued to the screen, their thumbs rapidly punching their controllers. Victor looked like he was in software mode, AC looked like he was on the verge of dehydration and Bart's eyes were practically glazed over.

"Okay boys. Save now or you'll lose it all," Dinah warned.

"Next checkpoint," was the unanimous drone like response.

Chloe and Dinah looked at each other and heaved simultaneous long suffering sighs.

"Ten minutes," Dinah said, as she walked in front of the screen to ensure they had acknowledged their presence. "Everyone's got places to be tomorrow, so pack it up."

"Hey," Bart yelled coming out of his zombie-like trance. "You just killed me."

He tossed the controller onto the cushion next to him and folded his arms with a sullen expression. Chloe came over and sat next to him, pulling him into a sideways hug.

"Think of it this way, you come visit every Saturday night and the big screens all yours."

"Ah Chloe that wasn't a good idea," Dinah reasoned with alarm.

Victor who'd finally reached a checkpoint, looked over and sighed. "If I had the miles, I'd take you up on that offer. I guess I have to make do with what Dick has in his games room. It's not bad but you've got a killer setup Chloe. Seriously, I'm jealous."

Chloe released Bart and meet each other either faces slowly. "This place belongs to the team. I want it to be a second home for everyone. I'll upgrade the front security so it'll have everyone's biometrics and you guys can come and crash anytime. Ollie's already got contractors coming in next week to section off some areas for private quarters. Then there will be proper places to sleep instead of the middle of the room," she said with a glance at Oliver's sleeping form.

"Water?" came a raspy voice.

Bart blurred to the kitchenette and came back with a liter bottle of water.

AC chugged it down in less than a minute. Chloe and Dinah both eyed him disapprovingly. "AC?" Dinah scolded.

He had the sense to look suitably chastised. "I got a little distracted."

Chloe looked between them, her lips twitching with amusement. AC looked very sheepish and she had a sneaking suspicion that their aquatic-loving friend had a soft spot for their knife wielding blonde ninja. How she'd missed it till now she felt completely stupefied.

"There's one more fold-out but the rest of us are going to have to deal with the couches."

"Not me, 'Licious, home's just a flash away," Bart said with a wink. "Happy 23rd, beautiful." And with a gentle lingering kiss to her cheek, he was gone.

Chloe cleared some of the pizza boxes and soda cans from the lounge area and sat down heavily on a the three-seat couch, the boys had occupied before. Victor had set up the fold out and was tossing throw cushions along the top. She motioned to Dinah were she stored the blankets and curled onto her side. Seconds later she was asleep.

Chloe woke up to the wonderful smell of coffee and stretched leisurely before sitting up. The throw blanket that she sometimes used when she couldn't be bothered turning the heating on was bunched around her legs. Someone had put it on her while she slept.

She glanced around to find the Watchtower tidy, everything back in its original place. Even the fold-outs were packed away.

If it weren't for the gifts still sitting on the coffee table, she couldn't be faulted for thinking she might have imagined last night. It has certainly seemed a little surreal.

She found a note scrawled in Victor's handwriting next to the coffee machine.

"We tidied a bit. Oliver told us not to wake you. Said we'd partied you out. We'll check in soon, Chloe. Take care from all of us."

Chloe covered a wide yawn and glanced at the clock, it was almost midday. She'd never slept in so late. She must have been tired. The coffee machine had been left on, so when she hit the drip button, a fresh brew streamed into her cup.

She sipped it slowly and unzipped her jacket. She felt sticky all over, it was her own fault for falling asleep fully dressed last night. Lucky she'd finally gotten all the plumbing work done so she could take a bath or a shower. The original bathroom hadn't been used in years and the pipes had all rusted through.

Her fingers wrapped around the hot mug, she tried not to let the feeling of loneliness creep over her. So everyone had gone back to whatever area of the globe they'd currently invested themselves in; Dinah to Seattle, Bart to Keystone, Victor to New York and AC to Coast City, it didn't mean they'd stay gone.

They'd finally been able to talk things through and settle on a workable solution. It really felt like things were finally coming together. There was now a special emergency number that meant they'd all check in within 24hrs of the alert, and they also all promised to do weekly debriefs via video link. Instead of a rag tag two-man team it felt like they were on the way back to being the Justice League again.

Chloe wandered to her desk and noticed a large black gift box with a green bow. Oliver, she thought with smile. They'd all gotten her something for her birthday and even with all of her protesting that he shouldn't get her anything, he'd obviously disregarded her remarks. It hadn't been there yesterday though, so he must have left it for her this morning.

Unravelling the ribbon, lifting the lid and pushing aside the tissue paper, she picked up the white envelope resting on top of a very pretty, rich thread-count cotton dress. It was white with a boat neckline and there was a wide panel of fabric that spanned the wait before the fabric fell away from the hips in flared skirt. The bodice was covered in Swarovski crystal beads and silk green embroidery in the shape of tiny four leaf clovers.

"For luck, and new beginnings," the note said.

She lifted the dress out of the box and held it against her body. It was feather soft under her fingertips and she couldn't wait to try it on. She was about to do just that when she noticed the box wasn't empty. There were was a very plush looking angora wool coat with golden buttons and a green blindfold at the bottom, along with another note.

"Pack your bags, we're going on a road trip. The blindfold's for later."

Her stomach curled with nervous anticipation. Later made all kinds of kinky ideas flutter through her brain and she felt her cheeks fame with the mental images. When he'd pulled away from her at the Talon last week, she'd felt a stab of uncertainty rush through her. She'd gotten so good at hiding her feelings she was sure that her hurt hadn't shown on her face but when she'd discovered his reasons for visiting she couldn't fault him for his reaction.

Everyone and their dog had probably tried to bleed him for something over the years. And considering his history of failed or painful relationships, it was only reasonable for him to jump to that conclusion. She wasn't under any illusions that just because they'd slept together a couple of times it automatically meant she could do no wrong. They'd been pointing fingers at each other long before they'd decided they made a good team. And even now they still had their share of bumps in their partnership. Like the time he'd suspected her of kidnapping Lois. Unlike Clark, Oliver hadn't assumed the worst. Oliver knew that Tess was keeping tabs on Lois, so he assumed she might have good reason for taking Lois out of a public hospital and plain sight where she'd be vulnerable. But Clark hadn't stuck around for an explanation, he'd just jumped down her throat.

While she liked the way he made her feel, she knew that she was distancing herself again. It was habitual. Whenever something got complicated or if she felt uncertain, she'd pull out. And while she felt that they'd grown closer, and she certainly didn't feel uncomfortable about him hugging her or touching her hand. She wasn't sure if he wanted to anymore. Had she pushed him too far by going behind his back? It had been intentional. While she trusted Oliver. She didn't trust him where Clark was concerned. They were friends, and after Oliver's suicide attempt, it had changed something in Oliver. He felt less than Clark somehow. She knew the invulnerability thing was always going to hang in the back of his mind but this felt like something more than that. Like Clark was a better man, not only because he had Lois but because he didn't make mistakes. She almost scoffed at that. Clark wasn't infallible and he was far from perfect.

Chloe sighed, she'd closed herself off from everyone without consciously thinking about it. Considering how badly it had hurt to let Clark hold her, to clutch at him desperately like a life line, only to hear him say that Clark Kent is dead. Which in reality meant to her that she was nothing to him, and watching him walk away and intangibly ripped her heart out was enough to force her into a final resolve. She would never let anyone make her hurt that badly again. All the bad decisions she'd made, all the sacrifices she'd endured for him that had left her empty. What was it all for? The way he'd looked at her when he'd returned. Like she was baggage he could do without. She was desperate for someone. She would have given anything to have Jimmy back, she would have left it all behind, started over, she would have given Clark the freedom he wanted to be rid of his human ties. She knew it was selfish but Jimmy had been the only one who'd never stopped loving her. Even when he couldn't understand her decisions or loyalties, he'd still cared for her. He had still tried to do everything to protect her. Dinah had told her that without Jimmy they wouldn't have found her location so quickly. Jimmy hacked Tess' computer to find her.

Those thoughts swirling in her head, she suddenly felt cold inside. Like a dead shell. She didn't deserve to be happy. And Clark had been right not to trust her. She was surrounded by death. Even in the future, everyone she had lead and loved was dead. She killed Tess. She'd been about to kill her last month. Those instincts to protect Clark, even if he didn't trust her or confide in her anymore were still there. She'd said dreadfully callous things to Lois. Chloe knew they weren't true. If Lois knew the truth about Clark, her cousin would die first protecting him. The one thing that ran in the blood of Sullivan-Lane girls, you protect those you love, no matter what. Oliver still didn't know half of the situations she'd gotten herself into playing the sidekick to Clark's hero or the fact that she managed to get herself into trouble without trying. The laws she continued to break, the choices she made, she wondered even if it was for the greater good. Did the end justify the means? Sometimes, if she let her mind go there, her hands felt so dirty, she wondered if she'd ever get all the blood off them.

When her phone buzzed she actually flinched. With shaking fingers, she picked up the call. She tried to regain her composure enough not to sound inhuman when she answered. "Hey," she tried brightly.

"Are you okay? You sound reflective, and not in a good way," Oliver reasoned gently. "You're not going to try and bail on me are you? If I have twist your arm by telling you that this is my second plan in as many weeks that will be foiled if you pull out, I will."

Chloe looked at the dress she held in her hands. He was trying. He was far from innocent too, and while he hadn't forgiven himself either, he was trying to be a better hero, a better man. The least she could do was give this half a chance, whatever it was. "I don't know, Ollie. Everything that starts off perfect for me always end badly."

Oliver snorted. "We're hardly perfect Chloe. I'm the poster boy for reform but I'll never be perfect. We do what we can. What happened to the woman who was on cloud nine that I let party without me last night? Who do I have to beat up?"

Chloe chuckled a little. "Me and my over analytical brain. You sure you don't want better company for this weekend escape?"

"And give your birthday surprise to someone else, not a chance." She could hear the grin in his voice. "So your chariot is rolling in around about twenty minutes. That enough time for you to get ready?"

"I thought you were stuck in budget and brainstorming meetings today?" Chloe said arching an eyebrow.

"All morning, now I'm a free agent," Oliver said brightly.

"Am I wearing the outfit?"

"Definitely, and you'll need to keep the blindfold handy. I hope you haven't eaten all the left over pizza, I've packed us a late lunch."

"Okay," Chloe mused. "Well I'm hanging up now, you're not giving much time to soak and beautify."

"I'll be there in five," he teased.

Chloe smirked and held the phone tighter, fighting the way her body coiled tightly in awareness at his suggestive tone. "I'm locking the door. I see you earlier than twenty minutes from now and you'll be sorry."

"You have to know by now Chloe that danger just adds to the thrill of the chase. Don't bait me," he warned.

"I'll see you when you get here. Later," she added with a slight laugh. Tossing her phone on the desk, she scooped up her package and ran for the bathroom. A relaxing bath would have to wait till another time, considering she had to wash her hair, dry it and do her make up before he arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

**Acknowledgments: **Thank you to **auntyk** for the beta

* * *

Twenty five minutes later, Oliver ushered Chloe into the passenger seat of his new Lexus L S 460 L.

He'd let Roulette keep the Lamborghini; after all he'd lost it gambling. He'd gambled enough over the years to honor his debts even if she had been playing him from the beginning. She had also played a co-starring role in getting him back on track; he owed her more than what he'd seen Chloe pay her. He could have swapped Mia for the Crossfire for the weekend but the Lexus had more luxurious seating and had so many gadgets he was sure he'd keep Chloe well occupied and distracted from their destination.

Sure enough not even an hour into their trip, with the fields of green grass flying by the windows, she was semi-reclined and had fallen asleep while enjoying her full back deep tissue massage. When they were a few minutes away, he slipped the blindfold over her head. She didn't even rouse when he stopped in front of the hotel. He popped the trunk and let the bell boy get the bags.

He shook her gently and whispered into her ear. "I'm just going to check us in. No peaking, I've got the valet watching." He kissed her quickly and ducked out of the car.

She raised her hands to pinch him for pulling that move on her but he was already gone. Chloe let her hands fall into her lap and waited impatiently for him to return. She must look ridiculous sitting in the car with a bright green blind fold over her face. What must people think? Did it cross any of their minds that maybe she was being kidnapped? That thought made her face darken in embarrassment. What kind of headline would that make if someone decided to investigate_? 'Billionaire kidnaps girl, or is she a love slave?'_ Her fingers itched to take off the offending garment, so she decided to keep them occupied on something else. She felt across the dash. When she got in the car, she'd noticed a GPS and before she'd fallen asleep she'd noted the route he'd taken out of Metropolis. They'd travelled on the I-70 and there were a few places they could have pulled off along the way. Oliver had muted the navigational instructor but she could figure out how to reactivate it; the system help was designed to run without the keys in the ignition. Surely she could figure out where they were, after all they'd only been driving for a couple hours at the most. It was still bright outside, probably mid-afternoon. It took a few tries of pushing random buttons for the desired function but she couldn't resist a small squeal of delight when she heard the computerized feminine narrator say,

"Five minutes to destination. Turn left on South West Top..."

The car door wrenched open and the volume was abruptly muted. "Should have known you'd try that," he chided.

Chloe put her hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. He'd almost scared the life out of her, she'd expected to be abducted or something. "I don't think this blindfold was a good idea."

Oliver laughed. "I thought you liked excitement, Sidekick."

Chloe pouted and slouched back into her seat. "How much longer do I have to keep this thing on?"

"You heard the lady. Five minutes. I promise it'll be worth it."

Chloe could have sworn there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice but she shook it off. This was Oliver, world renowned playboy, who oozed charm and confidence. And up until she'd taken in his appearance outside Lois' hospital room, she thought him incapable of looking anything but inhumanly attractive.

They went a little way, turned left, cruised down the road for a sort while, took a right and then the car slowed and went over a dip, followed by a slight incline before pulling to a stop a few seconds later.

"We're going to walk for a bit and then I swear the blindfold comes off."

Chloe nodded and stretched her legs out in preparation for their use again. Oliver opened her door and took her hand.

"Mr. Queen?" A deep tenor voice called out.

"We'll be out before sundown and we'll try to keep out of the way," Oliver replied.

"No problem Mr. Queen, you won't be interrupting at all. Enjoy the..."

Oliver must have warned him with a look because the man stopped talking mid-sentence.

"Thank you for the generous donation," the man said with a smile in his voice.

"My pleasure," Oliver said in reply.

Chloe found herself walking again; she could feel the change in the surface below her feet. They'd moved from pavement to grass. She picked up the fresh and beautiful scent of flowers. There was a cool breeze and her nose prickled with the cold. The blindfold loosened and she blinked to let her eyes adjust. All around them, in every shape, size, and color combination imaginable were tulips. Her heart exploded in her chest and she found herself struggling to breathe. She'd never been surrounded by so much peaceful, delicate beauty before. It was the most breathtaking garden imaginable. The tulips seemed to stretch on as far as she should see, all the way to the hedge wall that spanned the area they were in.

"I thought you'd appreciate them in their natural environment more than filling up the Watchtower with cut flowers."

Tears prickled in her eyes, it seemed so extravagant but really it was a simple gesture. She knew where they were now. Lois had shown her pictures of the Botanical Garden in Topeka when she worked as Martha's assistant. It looked very different covered in tulip beds though, almost magical. There were two gardeners tending beds in the distance and she now knew what he meant about keeping out of the way. The tulip show wasn't until the second week of April; they were putting the final touches on the exhibits.

Oliver set the basket down and unrolled the blanket from under his arm. He sat down and patted the place next to him. Pulling out a bottle of Pinot Meunier champagne, he filled up two glasses and offered her one. "To you Chloe. For never giving up on anyone. For being the caring and dedicated person that you are." He noticed her tears and brushed away the moisture that slipped down her cheek. "You need to stop punishing yourself for everything that's happened in the past. Jimmy would never have blamed you Chloe. He loved you."

"I keep trying to convince myself that I can blame Brainiac for messing with my head. That if I'd only been able to think clearly, I would have ended things with Jimmy instead of saying yes. He deserved better, he deserved someone who didn't have to keep secrets. Someone who wouldn't hurt him." She hadn't meant to hurt him, but she had. Every time she chose to protect Clark, every time she chose to protect the world, even if she told herself she did it for Jimmy too, she hurt him with her lies. And in the end, she'd gotten him killed.

"Living in the past, holding onto regret, wondering what could have been, it'll tear you apart. Trust me; I've been down that road too many times. You made me see that my mistakes don't have to define my life, I can change. If there's hope for me, there has to be for you too." More than anything he wanted to convince himself, he needed to believe that she could come back. That she could trust in him.

"I've had to keep so many secrets. It just got easier to keep it all to myself. To focus on the mission and only ask for help if I couldn't do it alone. It was easier not to rely on anyone, to not need anyone." She couldn't meet his eyes. Tears blurred her vision; her chest ached so badly that she thought it would cause her to crumble right in front of him.

"You mean it was safer, not easier," he countered. "We all need someone Chloe. I'm the guy that spent two years thinking I was on a deserted island, going stir crazy, and talking to myself." He smirked at her a little. "Point is the longer you keep thinking nothing else matters, that emotions aren't important, you forget what you're fighting in the first place. Caring isn't a liability and meekness isn't weakness. It's the opposite of pride. It's knowing your limits and the strength of your heart, not physical power. I'll never be perfect Chloe, but I'm trying to be a better person. You can trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

She felt his strong warm hand on her shoulder. She wanted to believe him; she wanted to accept the shoulder he was offering. She didn't have to carry this burden alone. The other hand cupped the nape of her neck and angled her head to meet his gaze. His eyes were probing but gentle. There was no judgment there, just acceptance and hope. Hope for her, hope for them. She felt his fingers massage the tension out of her muscles slowly. Even with his small gestures he was trying wear down her defenses.

"Let go. Let yourself feel..." He dipped his head and kissed her gently. He could taste her tears and it twisted his gut. He hated to see her in pain. She deserved to be happy. With all that she'd gone through, the work she'd put in to bring the team back together, to keep them all fighting for the cause, to keep them all focused, he would literally be in the gutter somewhere right now without her. Sleeping with her, he was beginning to realize that he couldn't keep up a casual affair. She made all the pieces of his life fit together. Two halves of himself, Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow that up until now he'd thought would never make a full satisfying life but at best a complicated, busy one. He never thought someone could accept him as he was and not want to change him somehow. In holding her, looking into her shining celadon green eyes, he realized that there was something he'd never be able to fill with hard liquor, fighting or other women. And that was the void that would consume him if Chloe ever decided he wasn't worth the effort any more.

A relationship between them would never be easy. The baggage they both carried from past relationships, broken trust and loss, it was inescapable. But he didn't want to pack it in just because it might be difficult.

He hadn't understood before when Carter had called him out on being a jackass. But he'd sensed something, a nagging feeling that he was missing something important, something that should be obvious but he just wasn't getting it. Looking back he realized when it happened. The first real moment he'd let himself analyze it for what it was. Fear.

The Justice Society had made her feel inadequate by throwing him through a window and abducting Clark from right under her nose. She'd confessed that she felt like she was out of her depth. That she was chasing a goal that was unattainable. Considering they could get their asses handed to them by a couple of guys who'd been retired for the last two decades, she must have feared what chance they'd have against an alien army lead by one of the ruthless dictators in Kryptonian history. He'd been too freaked out by her defeated outburst that it had taken him awhile to come to terms with his own reaction.

In the moment, he'd just spouted the first thing that came to mind and hoped that he'd convinced her not to give up. He knew now that it was because he was afraid of losing her that he'd reacted that way. Without the mission he didn't think Chloe would have any reason to stay in his life. He had to change her mind. He needed to change her mind.

For those few seconds it took for her to respond to his kiss, he counted his heartbeats, each one faster than before. What if she'd already given up on them? On taking a chance? Put the lid on letting herself care for anyone? He certainly hadn't helped his cause by jumping to the conclusion that she was just using him for his money. It was irrational. What possible use would Chloe have for millions other than for a cause in the name of justice or protection for humanity? She wasn't the type to spend money on herself and she certainly was the type of woman to buy a secret condo or an island. It was that fear again. The one that had him believing anything but the simple fact that maybe, just maybe, she might like him for just plain Ollie.

Just when he thought he'd blown it all, she moved her lips and then opened her mouth to him. Her tongue swept across his lower lip and he was drowning. Hungry for her, he threaded his fingers in her hair and lowered them back to the blanket.

Her hair divine, a clean and fresh scent. A blood warming, subtle fragrance with not even a hint of chemical odor. He must have lingered nuzzling in that spot just below her ear near her hair because she giggled into his neck.

"From Dinah and AC. Well mostly Dinah. A holistic spa in the South of France. They make their own products, shampoo, moisturizers, and aromatherapy oils. All natural, 100% organic and no tested on animals. Probably cost more than I make in a week, I told them it was too much. Dinah said she buys it regularly so they give her a discount." As she told him about her gift, she realized that Dinah and AC had more in common that she first realized. While Dinah wasn't a vegan, she didn't like poachers and she was vocally against animal testing.

Oliver kissed her throat and wound a curl around his finger. "And how did AC fit into all that?"

" He picked it up," Chloe said with a grin.

"AC and Dinah, huh?" That could explain why she hadn't chewed his head off when he'd suddenly stopped messaging. Then again, they'd only been playing around. Her first message had been so wild and out of left field that he'd thought it had been some prank. But maybe she'd accidentally sent it to the wrong person? It had completely turned his boring day at the office around, so instead of assuming it was a case of mistaken identity, he'd just played along and sent an equally hair-raising email in response. Dinah was always one to just roll with the punches. After half a dozen rounds of virtual tag, he'd assumed that she had a kink for cyber-sex and that maybe she'd found a suitable player in him. Considering how she'd behaved in person, he realized outside of her work as Canary, he didn't really know the woman at all.

Chloe kissed him lightly on the cheek and pulled away. She sat up and curled her legs under herself. Rubbing her hands over her knees. "As much as I love the seduction you've got going, I'm starving."

Oliver chuckled and propped himself on one arm, reaching for the basket. "I've got croissants, Camembert, cold cuts, and heaps of fresh fruit." He deposited the basket in front of her. "What do you feel like?"

Chloe eyed the contents, her mouth watering in anticipation. "Guess Dinah's not the only one with French taste. Should I be worried?"

Oliver smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "The French know how to indulge. Told you before, Sidekick, there's nothing going on between Dinah and me. There's only one blonde I'm interested in."

He made her a sandwich and one for himself. They ate in companionable silence, enjoying each others presence and their surroundings. Afterward they were sitting back to back, picking at the bowl of summer fruit.

"Were you supporting any local produce when you packed this picnic?"

Oliver scowled playfully and bumped her back a little. "Hey, the ambiance is local."

"There is that, even though tulips are native to the Netherlands."

"Do you enjoy being difficult?" he said with a huff.

Chloe turned and wrapped her arms around him. "No," she said softly, leaning against his cheek. She could feel a hint of stubble poking through already. "It's just that I've never had this. The girl that got breakfast cooked by her much too wholesome boyfriend, or got surprise dinners accompanied by black and white movies, that was someone else. I think my reboot button has been hit one too many times and part of my brain has fried. Maybe it's just my excuse but for a long time, it's like I've been waiting to wake up. That none of what's happened, happened to me. That it's all just a bad dream."

Oliver turned to face her. She let her arms fall from his shoulders and before she could pull away again, he took her hands and threaded his fingers through hers. "Do you think this is a bad dream?"

He kissed her and poured everything he felt into that kiss. He wanted her to know how much he'd come to value her presence in his life. He wanted her to feel how much he burned for her. How the desire had been there all along, an ember that had started the first day he'd met her and steadily built into this all consuming flame. It raged inside him making him irrational at the worst times. He would lash out and hurt her the way he felt she'd hurt him. She'd hurt him when she'd kept Davis' resurrection a secret. She'd hurt him by not trusting him to help her any way he could. Hurt him by making him believe she was in love with a monster, a killer. He should have known better, should have trusted her, given her reason to trust him. More than anything, he wanted her to wake up from her nightmare and see what was real. That he was real, and that he was waiting for her to see it.

They'd both made mistakes, this was their chance to start over. To leave the past behind and make better choices.

Chloe put her hands either side of his face and pulled back breathless. There were fresh tears in her eyes but this time they were from the overwhelming emotions that he was stirring within her. She brushed her thumb over his lips and stared into his clear brown eyes. "I want you, Ollie," she whispered quietly.

Jaw tightening, he felt blood rush to his groin. The smoky look in her eyes had him questioning whether he'd make it back to the hotel. The frigid air and their present company reminded him that what he had in mind for them would be better executed behind closed doors.

It had to be divine intervention that they made it back to the hotel at all. Chloe had decided to divest him of his tie and undo half the buttons on his shirt, kissing and sucking on his neck while running her fingers over his naked chest. By the time they pulled up to the entrance, he'd taken a turn too sharp, hit a curb, run at least one stop sign, and was breathing heavily. Chloe was practically in his lap. He'd clicked off his seat belt, and had re-buttoned his shirt as the valet had arrived at his door. Oliver got out, tossed him the keys and rounded the hood, to her door. Scooping her out of her seat, he grinned wolfishly at her when she didn't protest at being carried bridal style through the lobby.

Her lips were swollen and dark, her face was flushed and glowing and he could hardly wait to get her out of her new clothes. Her expression, her obvious desire for him had his body humming. He couldn't wait to have her naked and kiss her from head to toe.

The sky was beginning to turn purple and pink outside, casting a warm glow over her skin, making her golden hair shimmer. Waiting for the elevator and on the ride up, he did his best to keep their PDA decent but she wasn't making it easy for him. Oliver struggled to get the key card in the door, while keeping Chloe anchored securely between his chest and the wall to keep her wondering hands under control. The door finally gave way and they tumbled in, landing on the floor. Chloe laughed wildly, and Oliver fought to keep the wide smile off his face. They were behaving like a couple of teenagers and he couldn't be happier.

Vaulting off the floor, he scooped her up and tossed her onto the middle of the bed. She pushed herself up on her arms, and scooted back against the pillows. Chloe ogled him without reservation; her eyes gave way to a devouring expression, traveling downward from his face, his mouth, taking in the harsh rise and fall of his chest, before coming to rest on the distinct shape in his trousers. Crawling back to the edge of the bed, she let her legs hang over and grabbed him by the waistband of his tailored pants.

While she pulled his shirt free and began undoing his belt, Oliver pushed her back against the bed and settled himself between her legs. He slid his hand under her back and pulled her zipper down. As she pushed his trousers and briefs down his legs, he ran his hands along her thighs and up her body, gathering fabric over his arms as he went.

He felt her stomach clench as his rough palms brushed the smooth plane of her abdomen. He continued his ascent and found that she was bra-less. He grunted and kissed her, moaning into her mouth.

Chloe pulled her dress over her head and leaned up again to undo the buttons of his shirt and push it off his shoulders. She nipped and kissed his chest and trailed her tongue over his left nipple. He sucked in air sharply and bucked against her. She smiled against his skin and pulled his nipple into her mouth, circling it with her tongue before nipping lightly with her teeth. He buried his hands in her hair and pulled her away.

"You're driving me crazy," he hissed as he touched his nose to hers.

Chloe angled away and nuzzled his neck before whispering below his ear, "That's the idea."

She then proceeded to toe at his pants, pushing them further down his legs. Oliver let her go and bent to undo his laces so he could kick off his shoes. When he'd gotten rid of his pants, shoes and socks, he found her standing. In a swift move, she had him on his back and was straddling his waist.

He put his hands on her hips and made to put her body under his, but she put her hands on his wrists and rubbed herself against him causing him to abruptly stop moving and clamp his eyes shut.

"You had me writhing on the floor, begging for release the last time we did this. It's my turn to repay the favor. So you better lay there and take it, Arrow." She arched her eyebrow playfully as she deliberately eyed his crotch.

Oliver forced his hands to relax their grip, and started concentrating on his breathing. Her lips started a delicate assault on his body, starting with his ear lobe, working down his neck, across his chest and stomach to his navel and beyond. She certainly had a wicked way with tongue. Within minutes she had him laying sweaty and boneless, but completely sated.

"Wow," Chloe mused studying him with appreciative eyes. "Seeing you at my mercy like that, I think I like it."

Oliver felt his eyelids twitch at the mention of Mercy's name. He didn't want to taint his moment with Chloe with any of his past exploits. Times like this he wished he hadn't been so casual about sex. Once they were there, it was impossible not have mental images randomly jump into your head of various naked women

Chloe wished she could take it back as soon as she realized what she'd said. She'd almost forgotten Oliver's nickname for Tess. Too bad she hadn't or she could have done a better job pretending not to notice the anxious tell he'd just displayed. So much for showing him a good time. "I think I could use a drink. Want one?"

Oliver followed her with his eyes. Her padded across the carpet to where the icy bucket held their complimentary bottle of champagne. All this alcohol she was downing had to be going straight to her head. Chloe had never been a big drinker; in all the time he'd known her he'd never seen her with more than a single glass on any occasion.

He walked over to join her, lifting the lid on the room service tray and plucked out a piece of fresh fruit. Taking the glass away from her, he rubbed a piece of pineapple along her lower lip. "One sandwich isn't really a proper meal. Do you want me to order food in or do you want to go down to the restaurant?"

Chloe opened her mouth and took a bite. Chewing it once, she swallowed and inclined her head to think about his offer, while he sat on the edge of the bed and reached for the phone. Picking up her glass from where he'd put it on the table, she downed it and stood up.

Oliver looked up at her and paused mid-dial when he noticed her finger on the disconnection tab. "You're not hungry?"

"Oh I'm still hungry, and I'm looking for more fun."

Oliver swallowed with difficulty and dropped the handset back in the cradle.

* * *

Lois closed the door to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet seat. What a mood killer. Who thought that a slight wardrobe malfunction would kill the libido of one hunky Clark Kent? So her earring had caught on his shirt cuff. So what? It hurt a little but it wasn't the end of the world. They'd gotten as far as serious tongue hockey, working on the losing the clothes part and then it had all gone backward from there.

Clark had looked at her like he'd just done some immeasurable crime and had gone as pale as milk. She'd taken pity on him and laughed it off, trying to calm him down. It was useless, the moment was officially dead. She thought that after all their bumps that they were finally heading somewhere more serious, ready to take the next step. Heaven knew there had been enough hand holding, sweet kisses and dates without anything remotely physically intimate to stack up against all her previous relationships combined. Clark was as wholesome and traditional as they came, so when he'd suggested this weekend away together, she'd been impressed and more than a little excited. Was there something wrong with her? Was she misreading the signals? He wasn't a virgin, was he? He and Lana had lived together for cripes sake. Although it could explain the cold feet.

Lois sighed and chewed on a nail. Maybe she was making him do too much. Who needed clothes? If Clark wanted to know how much she wanted him, she'd show him. Just when she'd decided she'd take a shower, loud noises through the wall made her eyes widen in surprise. It seemed whoever was next door had no problem breaking in the bed. There was a crash, and more swearing, followed by laughter and then deep moaning. Lois covered her ears and turned on the shower full blast in an effort to drown them out. It didn't help much. She stripped off and did her best to ignore them, while she scrubbed down. She was putting the soap back when the small shampoo bottle jumped right off the shelf. Lois put her hand against the wall and felt it vibrating. Her eyes widened and she rinsed off quickly, shutting off the water and jumping out of the stall.

That was a bad idea. The grunting and moaning got louder and the vanity mirror started moving. She wrapped herself in a towel and pounded on the wall. "Take it easy, you're going to bring the wall down."

* * *

Chloe sagged back against the tiled wall. Water sloshed down her body and between her legs. She shrieked and nearly slipped. "Oh shit." Her foot hit the glass door and it swung open hitting the wall with the crash. Thankfully it hadn't shattered. Oliver calmly reached over and pulled it closed again, while grinning down at her with a smug expression.

Oliver had just given her fifth orgasm in what seemed like a very short space of time, each one pushing her harder and higher than the one before. Her limbs felt as though they were made of jelly and her brain was a foggy mess. A certain part of her anatomy was swollen and throbbing, and the hot water running over the hypersensitive bud hadn't been a welcome sensation.

Oliver reached behind to the shelf for the tube of lube, rubbing a liberal amount over himself before taking her in his arms. He pushed into her slowly, anchoring her between his body and the shower wall.

Considering she'd only just started to come down from a high, she didn't think she could find her peak again so quickly, but it came out of nowhere and hit her hard. Her orgasm sending small shocks over her body from her ears to her toes.

Her cry was of both pleasure and pain as arched back against the wall, her legs slipping from his hips, refusing to function at all any longer. Oliver held her easily, his arm still around her waist.

He pulled her forward so she was draped over his chest and lowered them both to the shower floor. He kept her in his lap, while she turned her face to his neck. The water beat down on his legs, the steam enveloping them in a warm cloud and he wished he could stay there forever just holding her.

In the fog of her overtaxed mind Chloe thought she heard someone yelling. "Did you hear something?" she whispered against his skin.

Oliver wrinkled his nose and ran his finger over the outer curve of her breast. "Only you, babe. I think I'm deaf in this ear."

Chloe squeezed him.

Oliver clamped his hand down on her hip, in warning. "Hey! Easy, tiger."

"Then stop with the smart talk and put those lips to good use." She eased back from him gently and knelt between his legs. Reaching for the soap, she lathered her hands and started to wash him down while she kept his lips firmly engaged with hers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville, nor do I claim to own any other characters therefore owned by DC comics. Credit for the Silver Banshee story goes to Superman/Batman Issues #53 - #56 by Green, Johnson, Rags, Morales & Dell. I just gave it a slightly different twist.

**Acknowledgments: **Thank you to **auntyk** for the beta

* * *

It took them a lot longer to dress than it should have. Though, maybe if she hadn't kept bending over in front of him he might've focused on dressing himself, long enough to let her put her own clothes on.

He opted for casual attire; distressed torn jeans, a cable knit jersey with a white t-shirt underneath. Chloe looked very delectable in a red satin wrap around dress. The way it swished around her legs and clung to the curve of her butt, Oliver was very tempted to palm her butt just to feel her walk.

She seemed to guess what he was thinking.

"Hands in your pockets, Ollie. Believe it or not, I'm starving. For food," she said her eyes dancing with humor at his apprehensive expression.

It was nine o'clock by the time they entered the restaurant. The host found them a table and gave them their menus. They smiled over the top of their folders and Oliver squeezed her knee under the table. She gently kicked his foot and playfully glared at him.

"Knock it off."

"No-one can see," he teased with a wink.

Before Chloe could ask what he was going to order, Oliver's cellphone rang. She knew work wouldn't call him unless it was an emergency, so assumed it was his GA system or something else equally important.

"Go on. Anything particular you're interested in?" she asked.

"I feel like I need to keep my energy up, so probably red meat and lots of it," he answered with an impulsive smirk.

He was already getting out of his chair so Chloe couldn't kick him again. Watching him as he walked away, she couldn't keep her eyes from drifting toward his rear. A denim clad, well shaped bottom, was there a more sexy sight?

"Would you like anything to drink, ma'am?"

Chloe blinked rapidly, and pretended to be engrossed in the menu hoping the waiter hadn't noticed her ogling. "Ah, I think I'll order first and get whatever the chef recommends to accompany the food."

"I'll be sure to ask. Are you ready to order?"

Chloe glanced at the menu. Suddenly a high pitched screech pierced the air, quickly followed by a rumbling sound. A burst of blue light lit the restaurant and was followed immediately by the loud cracking of broken boards. Someone else screamed and all around her people began jumping out of their seats. Chloe got to her feet and tried to crane her neck in search of Oliver.

"You should stay at your table, ma'am. I'll see what's going on."

Blow that, Chloe thought. Wherever there was trouble, Oliver was bound to be in the thick of it and she was going to back him up any way she could.

******************

Oliver had finished with his call when a woman in a floor length, heavy black cloak exited the bathroom. He wouldn't have taken a second glance if it weren't for her over-sized sunglasses and headscarf. It was the beginning of spring, still fairly chilly outside, especially after sundown so her peculiar fashion sense wasn't unwarranted but sunglasses indoors? People only did that if that had a reason to hide.

Following her discreetly, he watched in horror as she pulled out a grisly looking dagger from beneath her cloak and raised it, preparing to stab a young woman she was fast approaching.

Not waiting for the attack, he closed the distance between them. However she must have sensed him; he only managed to grab her briefly before he was hit by a force that lifted him into the air. The scream was worse than anything he'd ever taken from Dinah. It hit him hard and sent him crashing through the room divider.

*******************

Clark wanted to call the whole thing off and spend an extra month training in the Fortress. Anything to avoid seeing the look Lois had given him again. He'd spent a good hour wandering around the lobby before deciding he should at least go and talk to her. He'd been a little anxious considering what he'd planned to happen this weekend but one minor mishap with his hearing and everything went pear shaped.

The trip up after leaving the Daily Planet early had been fantastic even though he'd let Lois drive. Okay, so she'd insisted but she'd been on her best behavior. She'd only pushed ten over and hadn't run a signal stop sign or cut in front of anyone. They'd had a wonderful romantic early dinner at the restaurant and afterward had gone up to their room.

Just as he passed the door next to theirs, he'd heard loud moaning. He'd turned to Lois to see if she'd noticed but she was oblivious, completely unfazed by the fact that it sounded like somebody was being tortured, in a good way, very loudly.

He watched Lois take off her wrap, and put her purse on the desk by the door. She looked beautiful in her red cocktail dress; it was easy to focus on her. Or at least keep his eyes on her. She'd started working on his tie and hard as he tried, he couldn't get his hearing to focus.

A heartbeat from next door was pounding so hard it seemed like the person was about to go into arrest. Trying to tune it out, he kissed Lois and for a moment, he could feel, taste and hear only her. Her soft lips, her steady comforting heartbeat, her deliciously scented perfume. He buried his fingers in her hair and began to forget about the couple next door.

"Ollie! Oh! Oh, please!" a familiar voice gasped loudly, in a completely unfamiliar and disconcerting tone.

He flinched violently. He hadn't meant to; it was just a knee-jerk reaction. Suddenly his head was filled with unwelcome pairings of Chloe, Oliver and those sounds. He hadn't even had time to process any of it, because in that same second, Lois had cried out in pain.

In reacting, he'd pulled his hand away from he abruptly and nearly taken her earlobe and a good chunk of her hair with him. Her hair and her earring had gotten caught in his Dad's cuff-links.

Her expression and the sick feeling in his gut had effectively dampened his mood. He tried to help untangle her, but in the process only managed to make it worse. She'd eventually slapped his hand away, and told him to stay still.

When she'd finally freed herself, the distraction was over and his ears automatically filtered in Chloe's voice from next door. Trying not to let his embarrassment show on his face, he'd offered Lois the lame excuse that he'd forgotten one of the bags in the car.

He'd then spent the next half an hour pacing the lobby, berating himself and wondering how long Oliver and Chloe had been seeing each other. The odds that they'd planned a trip away, at the same time and same venue as them? Just his dumb luck.

He supposed he should be happy that both his friends had found someone who could fill that void in their lives. He just hoped it wasn't a substitute for something real. After all he'd had a front row seat to Oliver's feelings for Lois; feelings like that didn't just dissipate. He couldn't judge because he knew what it was like to be attracted to two women at the same time, but he hoped that Oliver was serious about Chloe. She didn't need to suffer any more hurt; she'd had more than her share. While he felt that she'd pulled away from him since Jimmy died, he recognized that a large part of that was his fault. But, he still loved her and considered her his closest friend. She knew him, protected him, often without thanks and he owed her his life many times over but sometimes friends could grow apart even without realizing it. He'd seen the cracks. But, instead of making the first move and explaining why he couldn't give her what she wanted, he'd let her hate him for it. He'd let her go. Partly because he thought she'd gotten herself too entangled in the dangerous part of his life, in his enemies, but mostly because he loved Chloe too much to lose her entirely. Even if they weren't close anymore, she was alive and she was not a part of his drama.

'But she is,' his conscience argued. 'She was prepared to kill Tess to protect you! She helps you all the time with the Kandorians. She's keeping an eye on Zod. She doesn't trust him, and you're kidding yourself if you think she's going to sit back and do nothing while you try to play goodwill ambassador."

Clark sighed. He'd seen the future that Lois had visited. He'd seen how bitter and utterly focused on the mission Chloe had become. He could already see the roots of that woman forming, but he had no idea how to change it. He thought, by trying to keep her in the loop on the Kandorians and making an effort to drop by the tower more often, he'd get her to open up to him. Obviously those days were long gone. He missed that. He missed the days when they'd confide in each other but he reflected there'd been a pattern to her behavior if he'd bothered to notice. Where he'd always poured out his troubles and frustrations emotional or tangible, Chloe was carefully guarded. Never really sharing her feelings or fears unless they'd pushed her to breaking point. She'd never really let anyone see her as anything but happy and completely together. He wanted to reach out to her but he knew these days it wouldn't be welcome. The day he'd heard her confess that she felt empty, he felt so guilty. He knew what she was missing and wished he could give it to her, but there was no way he could risk the consequences. In saving Jimmy, he could end up saving Davis as well; a man who knew his secret and was also a killer. But what was worse? A future he didn't want to think about. By trying to change the past, he might end up losing Chloe. Davis might succeed in killing her. He wasn't naive; he knew he couldn't protect them all, not forever. Everybody would die at some point. He'd seen his future years ago. Standing in a graveyard that stretched on for miles. But that didn't mean he would bring her death about quicker if he could prevent it.

Which brought him back to his present dilemma. He'd tried the deception root with Lana years ago. It had driven a wedge between them, pushing her straight into the arms of his most dangerous enemy. Yet he found himself repeating his mistakes with Lois. He'd seen an alternate time-line in which Lois had stood up to DDS agents to protect him. He knew she could be trusted. She'd been prepared to fall to her death from the top of the Daily Planet building so he wouldn't have to reveal himself when she'd believed him to be The Blur. Instead of trusting her then, he'd continued with his deception. If he wanted things to get serious between them, he needed to be honest with her. She had a right to know who she was really getting involved with. Already he'd put her in jeopardy. He was kidding himself if he thought she'd be safe if she didn't know about his Kryptonian identity. Zod had already targeted her once. Just because Zod seemed to have accepted his offer of friendship for now, it didn't mean the man had let his attention to Lois go. If anything, her actions at the warehouse had intensified his interest. If he hoped to keep her safe, he needed tell her the truth. Forewarned is forearmed. Or so the saying went.

Done with his pacing, he realized he wasn't going to figure everything out tonight. But he could stop pretending he'd lost a piece of luggage so Lois wouldn't think he'd completely wimped out. Or think he was standing her up again. He couldn't blame her if she decided to pull out of whatever it was they were trying to do. She always came off second to whatever demanded his attention, day in and day out. Everything always seemed more imminently important that what he wanted or what Lois needed from him. How could he expect any woman to deal with that and stick around without having a good reason?

Head bowed, he heaved another sigh and walked toward the elevators. It was then that he heard the reverberating bone chilling scream. Speeding in the direction of the sound, he arrived in time to see Oliver being pushed by a sonic force through a wooden screen. Even in super-speed, he arrived too late to save him from the impact. Scanning his body for injuries, he noted there were no broken bones. Turning to the source of the sound, he narrowed his eyes at the woman, looking beyond the glasses and the headscarf. What he saw sent a chill down his spine. He'd never seen anything more ghastly in appearance. Doomsday had been a creature of rage, with blood tainted eyes and rock like skin. This woman was something else; hers was the face of death.

"You will be my perfect host. No more shall I spend eternity cursed with this decrepit form."

She bent down to the young woman at her feet, who seemed to be trapped in some kind of trance. The reaper grabbed her by the throat.

"Cowdor, grant me power. A BHEIL SIBH'G LARRAINH A DHANIS."

The dagger like pendent was raised and Clark knew he couldn't let her get away with killing the woman. He charged her, but before he could reach them, her white iris-less eyes, hidden behind the dark lenses, focus on his and she hit him with that same blue sonic blast that he'd seen moments before.

******************

Chloe found Oliver, and dropped to the floor, heedless of the broken glass, wood splinters and cutlery strewn around him.

"Someone please call an ambulance," she cried. She saw several people milling around, most had their phones out dialing already.

Oliver was unconscious and his chest was barely moving. She put her head to his mouth, checking for air. Pressing her fingers to his neck, she could feel her own heart pounding wildly in her chest as she waited, searching for a heartbeat. She found it. Thready and weak. Her hands trembled. She wanted more than anything to lift him and hold him but she was too scared he might have an injury that she could make worse. Instead, she gingerly ran her hand over his forehead. It was clammy with sweat and his eyelids twitched. With tears coursing down her cheeks, she bent forward and kissed him lightly.

She cupped his face with shaking fingers. "Come on Oliver. You don't get to die on me. Hang on, you hear me?"

Five minutes later, the medics lifted his gurney into the bus and closed the doors, refused to let her accompany him to the hospital. She stood rooted to the spot and watched the lit van pulling into the darkened street. Her whole body felt stiff. It was as though her life had been sucked away. Something unseen and stretched til breaking point. Seeing him like that, so pale and still. She folded in on herself, clutching her arms to her stomach. She walked briskly into the hotel, her brain numb. She didn't feel anything, she only knew her destination. She wanted away from everyone. Away from these sympathetic overly curious eyes that had been watching them since discovering the identity of the man who most considered a celebrity.

Chloe hugged herself tighter and jabbed the call button, chewing her bottom lip and staring at the descending numbers, waiting impatiently for the elevator.

*******************

He felt completely off. His legs were like lead weights and it took an enormous amount of effort to move in the direction he wanted. The restaurant was utter chaos. Nobody would give him a straight answer. No one knew what was going on and who'd just got carried off in the ambulance. He'd tried using his cellphone only to find it wasn't in his pockets. His vision was kind of twitchy too, like he couldn't focus. He'd try looking at something and end up looking past it at something else. It was annoying.

Thinking maybe she'd gone back to their room, he jumped in the next car heading up and leaned against the elevator wall for support. He felt so weak he couldn't even keep his head up.

He'd practically fallen out of the elevator and was stumbling toward their door, when an arm grabbed him pulling him inside. He was so out of sorts that he had no choice but to follow where that motion took him. He fell into his abductor heavily.

"Hey, easy with the goods. These things tear."

He blinked. "Lois?"

"No, it's the tooth fairy. I thought I'd make it easy for you. See anything you like?"

She whipped open her blue silk wrap to reveal black, extremely transparent underwear. Well if you could call it underwear; it looked more like tissue paper. He blinked rapidly and tried to focus on her face. She was giving him an expectant look.

"Oh please, I can't make it any more obvious. It's edible. Not snagging, no pulling, no mishaps. Can't get any foul proof than that. And you're overdressed."

Her hands were at the collar of his shirt and she was working the buttons, popping them out one by one. She had it free from his pants by the time his brain seemed to click online again. "Lois, I'm usually pretty quick on the uptake but I'm sure you're still in love with Clark. I thought I'd be hung up on you forever, but seems my heart isn't so broken..." He reached for the edges of her robe, intending to pull the edges over each other to close the thing, but the material gave way with a loud rip. It was left hanging uselessly around her arms and held up by his hands.

Lois turned them and shoved him back. He fell on to bed with a loud squeak. Lois let the ruined fabric fall down her arms to the floor. "Sheesh, Clark. You run hot and cold like a bad water heater," she said irritably.

She seemed to change her tune pretty quickly however, crawling over him to straddle his hips. He was hot and cold all over all right. Something was very wrong with this situation. He put his hands firmly around her upper arms and lifted her off himself, setting her on a vacant part of the bed. Not waiting for her to pounce again, he scrambled for the door.

"Lois, this isn't right. I have to go."

With his heart racing, he wrestled the door open and ran out into the hallway. He glanced at the numbers and realized that he was next door to the room he needed to be in. He turned the handle and it came off in his hand. He cursed his rotten luck and just kicked it in. Slipping inside, he sagged against the door, breathing heavily. What on earth was going on?

* * *

Chloe stood in the middle of the room and stared at the blood on her hands. She couldn't stop shaking. This was Oliver's blood. Oliver! With whom she'd just been laughing, teasing and making love to less than twenty minutes before in this very room. Her chest ached and it was getting hard to breathe.

A loud crash startled her and turned to the source of the disturbance.

"Chloe! What happened?"

Chloe was too shocked to say anything. She should have been used to his unexpected appearances by now but this was just too much. Her nerves were already on edge; she was barely holding it together. She was just trying to pull herself together. She needed to clean herself up and head to the hospital but now he was here. Her head swam and her heart did a painful flip flop in her chest.

Unable to hold herself up any longer, she collapsed to the floor sobbing. Wordlessly, he sat on the floor next to her and gathered her in his immovable strong arms. As much as she wanted to hit him and tell him that his comfort wasn't wanted or needed, she didn't even resist at all. Instead she turned her face into his shirt and cried.

"Are you okay? Who's blood is that?" he asked unable to masked the pain in his voice. Had she been hurt, why hadn't he stayed with her to take the call? If he wanted her to start trusting him more, he needed to prove to her that there was nothing he wanted to keep secret from her. Trust was a two way street.

"Oliver," she choked between sobs.

"Yeah?"

Chloe looked up and narrowed her eyes at him incredulously. She scrambled out of his lap. "That's all you can say? Yeah? You're his friend! I can't believe you! You're so tunnel visioned, I can't... You know what, I can't deal with you right now. Whatever your drama is, save it. I don't have time. Oliver needs me." She raced around the room, madly putting her things together; her phone, Oliver's keys, her new coat. A strong hand curled around her arm, trapping her. She looked up at him coldly. "Let go, Clark." She watched his eyes widen in surprise.

"Chloe, it's me."

"Smallville, I know you're in there. So help me, if....Chloe?" She stormed past the broken door and stopped abruptly.

Chloe took in Lois' appearance, Clark's semi-state of undress and laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh, it was a half snort with a crackle of bitterness. She sunk to the edge of the bed, her coat and her necessities clutched in her lap. She couldn't look at either of them. She knew what Lois must think of her, that she'd finally lost her marbles.

"You've been playing tag team with my cousin?" Lois asked each word coming out more shaking and higher pitched than the last. "It would explain why you want to break us up so badly," she said turning on Chloe.

"Both of you, I'm not Clark!" he yelled.

Lois was stunned into silence but Chloe looked at him with a slightly crazed expression. He was getting really nervous, she was obviously really upset, maybe it was making her irrational. Although it warmed his heart a little that she seemed to be really concerned for him, even if she wasn't thinking straight right now.

"Oh I know. Even on a bad day, Clark wouldn't be that insensitive." She had finally taken a second to process his appearance. Clark was always immaculate when he confronted her, unless he'd just averted some crisis. His shirt wasn't torn, it was open. Like he'd just come from making a play at seduction, not from battling a super-villain or stopping a bomb. "Hand it over, Kal. Before I hit you where it hurts." Chloe stood up and held out her hand. After learning that a Kandorian killed her in the future, she'd taken to carrying greenK with her everywhere. She had a small rock tucked in lead box in her purse.

"What?" Lois asked, trying her best to figure out who she need to channel her anger into.

"The little red rock. Lois, you know he's allergic. His symptoms being an egotistical jerk that thinks with his small brain instead of his upstairs one. Where's he hiding it?"

Lois raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. She'd heard from Chloe that Clark had had no trouble getting down and dirty with her when he'd been infected by her lipstick. Maybe he'd been looking for a bit more nerve. "Seriously, Clark, we could have just talked about it. If you weren't ready, you should have said something. I just thought with this weekend and all that…. you know what, never mind it's late and we should get some sleep. It's obvious that's all we'll be doing tonight, although how you can keep your hands off this, I'll never know." She turned around and the towel she had hastily grabbed to cover her underwear to pursue Clark caught on the dresser, tearing it from her body.

"Ah Lois, what on earth are you wearing?" Chloe asked with a croak. The way the underwear proudly showed off Lois' derriere, it might as well have been not there at all.

Oliver had had just about enough of being ripped apart over Clark's misdeeds. He threw up his hands and grabbed Chloe by the shoulders. He knew one sure fire way of making her shut up. He kissed her.

There was a subtle crunching noise followed by a loud string of words that sounded distinctly like mish-mashed curses coming from Lois. He stared down at Chloe, she was staring back up at him a slight pinch marring the space between her brows.

"Wow," she murmured softly.

Oliver shrugged having no idea what she meant, but pleased that he seemed to have that effect on her. He smirked a little. He loved kissing her, but kissing her speechless? That, in his mind, seemed like a feat worth celebrating.

Lois pushed between them, her eyes glittering with moisture. "What are you made of? Steel?" she cried waving her hands in his face accusingly. "I think I broke my hand." She narrowed her eyes at him with anger, still trying to fight back tears.

Chloe wordlessly moved away from them, lifted the bottle out of the ice bucket and offered it to her cousin. "Here."

Lois looked at the bucket like it was the most offensive thing in the world, before she huffed and stuck her hand into the icy water. "How could you, Chloe? Wow? That's all you can say? You're breaking my heart here, cuz."

Chloe looked at Lois and then back at whom, up until a minute ago, she had believed to be Clark. "He's not Clark."

"Not Clark," Lois parroted, nodding. She shook her head aggressively and squared her shoulders, shooting virtual daggers at Chloe with her eyes. "Gotta do better than that, Chloe. I thought your feelings for Clark were ancient history."

Chloe sighed. She really hadn't planned for Lois to find out this way but there was no escaping it now. "Lo, it's Oliver."

"Oliver?" Lois screeched, grabbing the first thing she could lay her hands on, seemingly only just remembering she was practically naked. She shrugged into the large suit jacket without a thought, turning her head and searching over her shoulder. "Where?"

"Something happened down at the restaurant. We need to figure out what."

Oliver watched the exchange between the cousins, fighting the urge to laugh. With their attention on each other, the scene was beyond comical. Rubbing a hand over the back of his head, he realized that the tickle he'd felt in his hair while kissing Chloe was Lois' attempt at hitting him. Strange. He'd barely felt a thing and yet she'd hit him hard enough to injure herself.

Chloe had gone very quiet. Her face betrayed nothing of her feelings but deep thought.

Oliver smiled with pride. Chloe had put everything together without so much as a word from him. "I was trying to tell you before, but you kept trying to crucify me for something. Now tell me whose blood this is?" He took her wrists in his hands.

"Yours," Chloe said quietly, still disbelieving what she was feeling. It was Oliver, she was sure of it. Any feelings she had for Clark to that effect had died a slow but unavoidable death a long time ago. The way Oliver had just kissed her was the exact same way he'd kissed her this afternoon in the park.

"You said it's my blood?" Oliver prompted Chloe. He was feeling relieved that she obviously wasn't physically injured, but he still wasn't sure about her state of mind.

"The ambulance. That was you in the ambulance." Chloe was having this out of body experience. She heard them both talking and she was answering, but she wasn't really there. Her mind was somewhere else. She was trying to figure out how this could have happened. It was different to the hex Zatanna had put on her. Lois had still been Lois, she and everyone else had just been under the illusion that she was also Lois.

"But I'm here, or at least I think I am. I do feel a little off."

"That's because you're Clark," Chloe said autonomously.

Oliver raced to the bathroom and stared at the reflection in the mirror. "Well damn." Everything finally made sense, the accusations, the ripping of clothes without meaning to, breaking the door without effort, not feeling Lois hit him. Boy, Clark really did have it tough trying to keep Lois in the dark on his secret. All those times she'd punched him or smacked him, he'd not only faked a reaction, he'd subtly moved so that she wouldn't break a hand or wrist in her playful attack.

"And if I'm Clark, then Clark's probably in the hospital. Freaking out, I'll bet. Let's go."

Chloe stood unmoving for a long moment. "We need to call Zatanna."

"Oh please no," Lois moaned.

* * *

Clark woke up and felt a sharp pain in his gut. His head felt as though it was about to split open from all sides. He looked around the room. He was in hospital, he realized with a sharp stab of fear. He threw back the sheet and tried to scramble out of the bed, but tangled himself in the tubing. His legs felt like jelly. Instead of supporting his weight, his knees buckled and he crashed into the IV machine. Using it as a crutch, he steadied himself and forced himself upright. His body ached all over. It was like someone had sucker punched him through to next week with greenK. His stomach churned, similar to how it had felt when he'd returned from the Phantom Zone. It was like he'd been starving. He could probably eat a refrigerator load worth of food.

"Mr. Queen, you need to get back in bed. You shouldn't be up, your head injury isn't severe but you suffered a concussion, so you shouldn't be moving at all."

Clark opened his mouth to retort that she must be confused but he caught his reflection in the glass. He was Oliver. Or at least he looked like Oliver and processing the pain and the hunger and the lack of abilities, he was probably human too. "Where am I?"

"You're at Topeka Boulevard Medical Center. We called your doctor; he said he'd be here within the hour."

Clark's heard did a quick flip in his chest before he realized that Oliver's doctor was Emil. He'd be in good hands. "Can I make a phone call?"

"Sure, just dial * first to get an outside line. Admin will just put it on your bill."

Considering the circumstances, Clark was sure that Oliver wouldn't mind. The sooner they got things sorted out and back to normal the better. "Hello, Zatanna. Seems we'll be teaming up again."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville, nor do I claim to own any other characters therefore owned by DC comics. Credit for the Silver Banshee story goes to Superman/Batman Issues #53 - #56 by Green, Johnson, Rags, Morales & Dell. I just gave it a slightly different twist.

**Acknowledgements: **Thank you to **auntyk** for the beta =)

* * *

Chloe paused outside the room, not surprised to discover that Zatanna was already there. However it was beyond odd to see Oliver blushing, with hands flat on the mattress at his sides, in an obviously nervous fashion. She sighed. If she'd been thinking straight she would have picked up on the fact that Clark had behaved in a very non-Clark way, and not at all Kal-like either. His first concern had been her. It had been Oliver, wearing Clark's face, who had held her to ease her pain. She looked back at him talking animatedly with Lois. She smiled a little. Oliver had no trouble standing up to Lois or telling her anything straight.

Chloe knocked and watched Clark's eyes widen with surprise and wariness. It was so strange to see Clark's mannerisms on Oliver.

"I guess once we've explained all this, we can move on to getting things back to normal." She tucked her hands into her coat pockets and locked gazes with Clark. "Oliver was hit by that banshee's scream and went through a divider. I thought he was the one I watched get carried off by the medics. Only he didn't wake up here, he woke up by the phones with a headache and found us."

"Us?" Clark queried with a confused expression.

"Lois and I. Oliver and I were staying at the hotel too."

Clark blushed at the implication and the audible memory. "I didn't know you two were seeing each other." He tried to avoid sounding petulant but from the look on her face he hadn't succeeded. So much for being able to school his expression, he felt like squirming under her probing gaze. She arched an eyebrow at him curiously.

Chloe wanted to ignore the odd flicker of emotion that passed over Clark's face. There was a time where she might have found his concern endearing. But in reference to Oliver, she found herself feeling defensive. While they hadn't exactly labeled this, she hardly found him an unworthy candidate. Oliver, even with his flaws, was the best non-boyfriend she'd ever had. Instead of confessing anything, she squared her shoulders and stood her ground, keeping her expression undaunted. "What happened to you, did you get a good look at her?"  
Clark shook his head understanding her defensiveness. He'd stopped asking her anything personal a long time ago, it didn't look like she'd let them fall back into that. Curiosity plagued him though, she could brush it off all she wanted but his ears didn't lie. "Dressed in all black, jagged looking pen knife, face like death. She had white hair with streaks of black. No irises, completely white eyes. Honestly, she looked like a skull with hair." Clark quirked an eyebrow. Chloe hadn't set one foot closer to him since stepping into the room. It was as though there couldn't be enough space between them. Her posture was stiff and she had a tense expression on her face. He had a feeling this had nothing to do with Oliver and everything to do with the fact that he was the one wearing Oliver's face now. He realized she also hadn't answered his question from before. With a small grimace he nodded in the direction of the window. "So are the two of you dating or..."

"Not exactly..." Chloe interjected quickly.

"We make a good team, I think. What do I have to do to convince you, Sidekick? Seriously she's harder to impress than Lois. But I guess I should count myself lucky. At least she hasn't tried to kill me yet."

She hadn't realized that Oliver had joined them in the room and having him hug her as though it was the most natural thing in the world to do, even using Clark's arms, had her cheeks growing warm.

Clark looked between them and opened his mouth to comment on the immediate shift in Chloe's attitude, but Lois beat him to it. She coughed loudly and pushed them apart before wagged her finger in Oliver's face.

Lois propped her uninjured hand on her hip and glared at Oliver. "How was I supposed to know you had a peanut allergy? I doubt it's something someone in your position would advertise. And while I'm happy that you guys are obviously happy, let's get one thing straight. While you're in my boyfriend's body, you'll keep your hands to yourself mister."

Oliver smirked widely, and Chloe had to hang her head to hide her smile. Clark's eyes looked like they were about to bug out and Chloe took pity on him.

"Personally, I don't really feel comfortable around either of you. This is ten times the awkward factor from when I played Lois for the day. You two weren't the dynamic loved-up duo back then. Relax Clark, you've got nothing to worry about."

"Says you, babe. I'm thinking we revisit the shower scene," Ollie said with a conspiratorial wink.

"Ollie," Chloe warned through her teeth.

"Eww, that was you two? I so didn't need that mental image," Lois said wrinkling her nose in distaste. Her brain had most probably been actively repressing the connection of the adjoining rooms up until now. She narrowed her eyes at Oliver. "Lay one finger on her and I'll...ow."

All that waving had made her hand ache again. Oliver had wrapped it for her using the first aid kit in his car. The icy water had helped reduce the swelling and he'd convinced her to get an X-ray when they'd reached the hospital, but not without argument. Sure it was sore, but she could still use her fingers. Hurt like hell but she could move them. The radiologist had taken the X-ray but he'd been called away before he'd had a chance to look at them properly. The nurse said she'd be paged when he had a chance to study them.

Clark's face took on a variety of red shades, though Chloe didn't think the various shades were humanly possible let alone on Oliver. Zatanna just had an amused smile on her face while looking between all of them.

"At least I know someone's going to be letting Clark's hair down," she said with up turned lips.

Clark looked at her, his mouth slightly agape and then at Chloe pleadingly. "Chloe, please. You know what I can..." his eyes darted to Lois' suspicious gaze for a brief second before he focused on Chloe again. "I trust you."

Chloe folded her arms across her midsection and gave him a twitch of a smile. "I guess you'll have to." Taking Oliver's forearm, she tugged him in the direction of the door. "Well, those of us that are able bodied are going to hunt down that witch. Just rest up Clark."

Lois looked at Clark, and then at Ollie; she seemed torn. Chloe didn't blame her. She had the experience of being whacked with mojo before, dealing with a Clark and Lionel switch-a-roo and a whole lot of other weirdness in her life conditioning her to be able to take the strange and unbelievable in her stride. Lois on the other hand, was still relatively new to it all. This was another slight derail in the Lois-Clark train that would need more than the usual single sentence explanation. "Considering I might have a broken something already, I'll stay here. I think I've had all the weirdness I can handle for one night."

Zatanna stood quietly and watched Chloe and Oliver through the window, until they disappeared from view. She turned to Clark with a smile. "Now I know Oliver's stance on these things, but you're a little more open minded," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "How would you feel about me helping things along?"

Before Clark had a chance to think about the implications of her offer, Zatanna's hands were moving.

_"laeh sih sdnuow. erotser sih htlaeh."_

* * *

Outside the hospital, Oliver took her hand and for a moment Chloe was transported to the moment when Clark had taken her hand in his to escort her into the Spring Formal. His big hand completely enveloped her smaller one and he lacked the roughness that Oliver's palms and fingers had. Chloe dropped his hand as though he'd burned her.

"Sorry," he said sincerely. "I've never been the type to hold back. I want to do something, I just do it, I don't think about it."

"Maybe you should," Chloe said quietly. She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice but she wasn't succeeding.

Oliver let out a sigh and cast his eyes heavenward, as if asking for help, before grabbing her shoulders. "Chloe, look at me. Do you regret what's happening between us?"

Chloe wanted to ignore the way he bruised her with his grip but she couldn't. Part of what Clark implied was that she help Oliver maintain control while this body swap was in effect. The difference in babysitting Clark and watching out for Oliver? Clark was cautious by nature. Oliver wasn't. "Relax the hands," she said tightly.  
Oliver flinched and released her immediately. "Sorry," he said quickly. "Don't know my own strength."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Got that in one. Listen, while Zatanna works her mojo to track this woman down, I'll give you the checklist on what not to do...What?"

Oliver was looking at her and the corner of his left eyelid was twitching.

"Stop it," she warned in alarm.

"Stop what?" Oliver asked innocently, resisting the urge to let his hands do what his brain was thinking about. His eyes itched like mad and it was doing strange other twitchy things to his body. He felt like he was over heating.

Chloe only had a split second to press herself up against him before a several bursts of heat sailed over her head. Waiting for it passes; Chloe took a step back and glowered up at him. She shoved him hard, not that he moved at all. "You almost roasted me alive!"

Chloe turned around to inspect the damage. Behind her were two bubbling pools of asphalt. She made a mental note that she had to give Oliver the run down of Clark's abilities and quickly.

"How was I supposed to know how it works?" Oliver asked trying not to laugh. There were a few frizzled hairs that he hadn't missed on the top of her head that now stuck up like short burnt bits of straw. He wanted to smooth them back but he was sure she wouldn't appreciate the gesture. "So Clark really does know how to blow off steam."

Chloe tried not to grin but couldn't help it when he had such a teasing expression on his face. She burst out laughing and he joined her. "The first time I found out about it, Clark had amnesia and he set a table on fire in the Talon when Lana walked into the room."

"Bet that was fun," Oliver said humorlessly. "He might not see you Chloe, but I do." He reached for her and wrapped his arms around her.

Chloe felt her heart skitter. As much as she wasn't comfortable about it, she let him hold her. Zatanna had asked them if they could go back to the hotel and see if the restaurant had any footage of the accident. She'd said it would help in her research having an accurate description of either the dagger or the she-witch. Oliver hadn't caught a clear look at her and Clark's description disturbingly resembled the grim reaper. They were hoping that wasn't right. If the being existed, a reaper wouldn't mess around fending off attacks; everyone would just be dead. Wasn't that their MO?

Chloe felt safe pressed up against his chest, she could hear his heart against her ear. His heart beat was strong and steady, such a contrast to the one she'd heard before. The one that had put her into an almost catatonic trance. Oliver had his nose in her hair. She felt him smiling. "What's so funny?"

"Smells a little smoky."

She jabbed him in the ribs.

"Hey ticklish," he said grabbing her offending hand.

Her eyes widened as she slipped and realized there was nothing under her feet. She clung to him tightly. "Ollie, seriously, if you let go of me now I'll never forgive you."

Oliver instinctively wrapped his arms tighter around her and held her securely against his body. He looked around and felt his heartbeat quicken in his chest. They were several hundred feet in the air. How they'd gotten so high without either of them noticing was a surprise but what freaked him out was the fact that he could fall and suffer no ill effects, while Chloe on the other hand... "I have to let you down."

"What? How?"

"I didn't know Clark could fly," he mused with a frown.

"He can't. Or he doesn't know how. I don't know. Can't you just reverse it?"

"I didn't know I was doing it in the first place. I would if I could, you know? Just. Here." He took her arms in his hands and she immediately screamed, when she was hanging in midair.

"Oliver!" Chloe gripped his wrists with a white-knuckle grip. Her fingers didn't even curl half way around, she felt as though she could slip at any moment. Oliver held her tightly though, she could feel the pull on her wrists. She'd definitely have bruises later. If she fell now she'd surely break every bone in her body and probably total someone's car. Her heart was racing, so much for being inconspicuous. Though so far, nobody had noticed the odd couple floating above the parking lot.

"I think I can swing you. See the roof over there?"

"Swing me? I'm not an acrobat." Chloe gaped at him.

"Chloe, I'm not going to try anything until you're on solid ground. I'll feel better about experimenting once I know you're not at risk of becoming a permanent mark on the pavement. It's barely a jump. You brushed off getting thrown through a table, suck it up, Sidekick. Now let go. One, two, three." He tossed her.

Chloe screeched and cursed at him the entire three seconds that passed between the moment she was weightless and flying through the air to the moment her feet hit cement. Stumbling, she fell, grazing her hands.

Oliver seemed impressed at his accuracy and was smiling triumphantly down at her.

"Fine, I'm safe. Now stop horsing around and get your butt down here."

"Yes, ma'am."

Only instead of coming down, he soared higher and faster than a speeding rocket before changing direction and disappearing through the clouds. Chloe stared opened mouthed and seethed. Stomping once, she turned around. There was no access door on this roof. It was barely a roof at all. How was she supposed to get down?

Oliver felt the wind rushing past his face, whipping back his hair and flapping against his clothes. His jacket was flicking wildly. It wasn't painful in the slightest, only annoying and causing drag. He shrugged out of it and let it fly. He hadn't intended to go for a joy ride but in trying to get down, he'd instead discovered how to go up. Once he understood how, he couldn't deny the rush he felt just letting loose. Chloe would find a way down, she was resourceful like that. This was probably the one time in his life he'd ever feel this invincible and free; he planned on enjoying every second of it while it lasted.

Chloe pulled out her cell phone and dialled. "Oliver, come back here right now. There's no door," she snapped.

_"No door to where?" Lois asked more than mildly curious._

Chloe sighed. "I'm stuck. Never mind, Lo. Keep an eye on Clark for me, I'll figure it out." Great. Oliver didn't have Clark's phone on him, and he didn't have his own either. Just perfect; she had no way to contact him. A brainstorm come to her; she pulled out her phone and called John. "John, can you track down Oliver for me? He might be in trouble and I can't reach him."

_"Okay, Chloe. I'll call you as soon as I find him."_

John would be able to search Oliver out by sensing his mind. She'd have to explain the packaging later, but considering his abilities, John would most likely put it together faster than she could tell him anyway. Now she just had to figure out how to not fall off the roof, while trying to cross to another part of the building that actually had a roof access door.

* * *

"Was that Chloe?" Clark asked hoping he didn't sound concerned at all.

Lois put the phone down and stared into those chocolate brown eyes she thought she knew so well. Seems she didn't know either the man behind them, or the man they belonged to all that well at all. Not everything anyway. Oliver hadn't given her an inkling that he might like Chloe, and Clark?….. well, Clark kept trying to convince her that he wasn't _The Blur _and she couldn't figure out why. At least not a very good reason because if he didn't trust her, why risk keeping her in his life at all?

"Sorry about this weekend," Clark said taking her uninjured hand and squeezing it lightly. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said we should escape the city, have some time to ourselves."

Lois smiled tightly. "Clark. Chloe was pretty rattled when I confronted her. I admit that I wasn't very forgiving either, considering I accused you of cheating on me with her."

Clark's eyes widened like saucers. "Lois, I would never..."

Lois put her finger to her lips. "Just listen, would you Smallville? I feel like this is the one time you can't run out on a pivotal moment for us, so I'm going to take advantage of that." She watched his brows bunch in confused apprehension and she had to crack a smile.

"What did Chloe say?"

"Before or after Oliver kissed her and convinced her, he wasn't you?" Lois beamed triumphantly at his expression, Clark didn't often do surprised.

Clark felt his face warm and his heart skip a beat before finding its regular rhythm. He reminded himself to breathe. He imaged what that must have felt like for Lois. To him it felt like watching her kiss that copy boy all over again. "I'm really sorry you had to see that Lois, but I can promise you there's no one I want to be with more than you."

Lois patted his cheek. "It's okay Clark, I believe you. Besides, Ollie doesn't know how to blush. I don't think he's been embarrassed by anything since he was in grade school. He also doesn't shock very easily. You on the other hand? I think I can read every emotion you're feeling right now. Sympathy, surprise, a little anxiety. Relax Smallville. Chloe's tough, she can handle pretty much anything Oliver might pull and more."

Clark swallowed, his throat suddenly felt dry. Maybe leaving Chloe and Oliver alone wasn't such a good idea. Chloe he trusted, Oliver however, he knew how alluring his abilities could be. He wasn't sure Chloe would be able to keep up with Oliver on her own.

"What I really want to know Clark, is when things changed so much that you two can barely stand being in the same room together? You guys used to be like conjoined twins, attached at the hip. If I wasn't hearing about you from Chloe, you were zipping off on some mystery together. I guess me and my big mouth covered the void before but I just realized that she never mentions you anymore. I guess she doesn't need to since I rant on without any prompting but I just don't understand. When did you two stop being best friends?"

Clark ground his jaw. It wasn't like this was entirely his fault. When he first came back, Chloe basically accused him of having no humanity. It stung. While he wanted to become a better person, make fewer mistakes it didn't mean he'd stopped caring. _'But you have,'_ his conscience argued. _ 'Even with Lois. If you really cared for her, you'd be honest. Or let her go.'_

Lois sat down next to his legs and leaned in. "In the beginning, I thought it was all about Jimmy. But she was hurting long before Jimmy died. At first I thought that maybe that was why she bought into Davis' _'I'm innocent, help me'_ routine. She was vulnerable. She wanted to feel needed by someone, important to someone. But it's not about that, not really. I guess I'm to blame too, I'm not there for her like I used to be, busy at the Planet or trying to seduce my boyfriend into taking me on a date. I'm not saying that I know if this is happily ever after or if they're going to start making pretty blonde babies, but at least Oliver's been there for her. And from what he's said, she's been there for him too."

"You knew?"

Lois raised an eyebrow. "What that they're hot 'n heavy. No! Just that he was grateful that he had her as a friend. Come to think of it, this is one story that slipped by me. I should have caught on when he asked me a couple weeks ago what her favorite things were besides coffee." Lois smiled. "Devious cad. He had me totally blindsided, going on about the Sharks game. The question was casually slotted in between, 'I've been so caught up lately; I've completely neglected a good friend of mine. If I was looking to make amends what could I get your cousin that'll put a smile on her face? I'll owe you of course. Front row tickets to the Sharks game on Sunday.' Totally had me there."

So that's what the tickets were for, Clark mused. "It's the same for me, Lois. It's not that I don't want to be there for Chloe..." _'Liar'_ "I just don't think she's comfortable seeing me. I wasn't there for her after Jimmy died. I..."

"You were moping. What you usually do. Listen, I'm not great at consolation either. The General always told me suck it up and move on but when you love someone, you don't have to say anything really. Doesn't mean I know how to do that either. Usually I end up offering to do bodily harm to the offensive person but what I'm hoping is that whatever's gone wrong, you patch things up. 'Cause believe it or not, Chloe might have gotten over you but she still cares about you. I should know, she just about had a Jerry Springer throw down with me to get me to see the error in my being with you. Which is something we're going to have serious words about, Mr. Kent."

His stomach growled loudly and he looked up at Lois, his face getting even hotter than before.  
Lois chuckled. "Okay, after we feed you." She smiled at him playfully. "I'll see if I can track down a vending machine. But when I get back, you're going to tell me why you feel the need to keep the fact that you moonlight in black, a secret from me? And you're gonna have to do better than, sometimes people keep secrets to protect the ones they care about. Because that's a load of crap and you know it. And you owe me, Clark. Not because I'm your girlfriend. Because that's twice I've nearly broken my hand on you, and you know me and impulsive gestures, I'm only going to stop if I have a good reason."

She left the room and Clark had to fight the urge to run. Well he'd been debating with himself that he needed to tell Lois the truth, or at least part of it. Seems that was going to come sooner than later. Zatanna had patched him up good as new. All they were waiting on was Emil to handle the paperwork. It would look like he was getting transferred to a hospital closer to home, instead of just walking out as though he'd never been injured in the first place.

When Lois returned, she offered him a can of lemonade and a chicken salad sandwich. "I'd go down to the local Kwik Shop but I'd be gone a lot longer than a blink of an eye."

Clark eyed her warily and played with the plastic sandwich box in his lap, searching for where he should start this conversation.  
"Look, how about I tell you what I have figured out?" Lois said with a pointed look. When Clark didn't do anything but stare at her expectantly, she sighed. "You have super-speed. You picked up my outfit from the Talon and got to the convention in under fifteen minutes. Even if you red-lined the truck, you never would have made it." Lois noticed he didn't interrupt her and she smiled, maybe he was warming to the idea of confessing after all. "Second, you're built line backer but I've never seen you work out."

This time Clark would protest. He worked out all the time, granted it was at the Fortress but she didn't have to know that part.

Lois could see that he was about to argue. "I know you still work on the farm, but so did your Dad all his life and he didn't look like you."

" Different genes, Lois," Clark said evenly.

"You feel like solid steel. My hand should know." Lois waved her bandaged hand in front of his face. "This isn't the first time I've hit you without you anticipating it. Last time I nearly shattered my wrist. Remember that Terminator and the fight club?" She waited for his expression to reflect recognition before continuing. "Well yeah, your gut felt like punching an oil drum and I was bruised for two weeks."

Clark took her injured hand gently wishing he had X-ray vision so he could inspect the damage. "Lois, maybe you should get an X-ray to make sure that..."

"Already done, waiting on the doctor. Oliver strong armed me into getting it checked."

"Good," Clark agreed with relief.  
Lois slapped his chest and narrowed her eyes at him without real animosity. "But all of that's just icing. It really hit me one night when I was on the phone with the Blur and just at the end of our conversation the distorter cut out and it was your voice I heard. I was going through a bit of emotion turmoil at the time so at first I brushed it off as a delusion. My brain making connections that I wanted to believe, so I brushed it off. But the signs kept cropping up. A good reporter trusts her instincts, so instead of fighting them I started taking notice. There are so many things over the years that I just brushed off. Not anymore Clark. Your naked romp in a corn field in the middle of a lightening storm, calling yourself Kal-El, missing barn doors, mysterious saves from sure death circumstances, the convenient Blur calls right when I finished ribbing into you about something Blur related. You've been watching over us for years. Long before you decided to move your talent to Metropolis. What I don't get is why you let me gush over The Blur for so long, and not say anything. Did you enjoy the ego boost?"

Clark grabbed her uninjured hand and threaded his fingers between hers, emploring her with his eyes. "It was never like that Lois, I..."

"Relax, Clark," Lois teased, squeezing his hand. "I think I know you well enough to know you weren't doing it intentionally. I remember you trying to defend Oliver over the dual identity thing. I know the reason, even if I don't get it. Guys in Special Forces don't get to tell their partners what kinds of missions they're on or even where they're going but at least their loved ones know who they are. That's all I want for us, Clark. I didn't think I could do it again. Not after the General and Oliver. And honestly, I can't." She watched his face fall and waited a little longer before continuing. She wanted him to understand the gravity of what she was proposing. "Not unless we can be honest with each other. I can share you with the world, Clark. You're special. What you do is important. But I won't sit around staring at an empty seat unless I know that man thinks enough of me, respects me enough to trust me with every part of his life."

"It's not just my life I worry about Lois," Clark said searching her damp brown eyes wishing she could understand his reasons, the fear in his heart. "If anyone ever knew I had someone like you... Remember Corben? There are men like that who only want vengeance. Lois, they don't care how they get it."

Lois patted his hand. "I know how dual identities work, Smallville. I can be with Clark Kent but not the man in black. Clark Kent suits me just fine." She leaned forward and brushing her lips over his. It was only a touch, barely a kiss but she felt it all the way down to her toes. It was like that every time she kissed him. It was like he had a charge, and when they touched, he sent it through her.

"Zod. He's not a Federal Agent, Lois. He's from my home planet," Clark said quietly.

Lois sat back and stared at him. "That nut job doctor wasn't lying?"

"No he wasn't, but they weren't doing what you think they were doing," Clark said quickly.

Lois turned away from him and stood up slowly. "You were born here, Clark. Your parents adopted you as a baby. You grew up in Smallville..." Lois began reasoning to herself.

"I arrived here in the first meteor shower. My birth planet was destroyed; my parents sent me to Earth to save me."

" And Zod and the others?"

"They arrived recently," Clark answered hesitantly. He didn't like the fact that she looked deep in thought, her posture rigid.

"That's what they're trying to do, isn't it?" Lois fixed him with a look that said she already knew the answer.

"What? Clark prompted.

"They're trying to get abilities, like yours. For some reason they don't just look human, they are human. Zod got shot and those bodies, they weren't invulnerable. Clark, they're not like you. I don't think they'd use their abilities the way you do. And after what Chisholm did, they probably don't care too much what happens to any of us."

"Not all of them think the way Zod does. Many of them are trying to make lives for themselves here. I'm telling you all this Lois, so that you'll understand. It's not just the hero thing that I'm worried about. Zod knows how I feel about you. The people that know the truth about me, the people I care about, they're the first ones to get hurt. Every time," he said solemnly. Thinking first about Chloe, then Pete, his parents, Lana, Alicia, Jor-El, he didn't want to risk anyone else getting caught up in this web of death and torment that surrounded him but he didn't want to be alone either. "I have to be careful how I handle things with him."

Lois folded her arms and stopped pacing. "That's why you got upset when you saw me wearing that bracelet. He was trying to bait you wasn't he?"

Clark bowed his head, staring at the hands that weren't his, his jaw clenching tightly before he could answer her. "He wanted me to know that he could get to you without me knowing. It makes me sick to think that I can't protect you Lois. Not always."

"Well now that I know, I can protect myself better. I'm no pushover, Clark. I was kicking ass well before you hit puberty and I have a few aces up my sleeve that'd do pretty well in a pinch. You're not the only one with secrets," she said a slight upward curve tugging at the corners of her lips. Zod had another thing coming if he thought his little clean up job of the warehouse got rid of all traces of Chisholm's discovery. Waller had that blood sample. The government knew they were out there. If they ever turned against Clark, she'd have his back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville, nor do I claim to own any other characters therefore owned by DC comics. Credit for the Silver Banshee story goes to Superman/Batman Issues #53 - #56 by Green, Johnson, Rags, Morales & Dell. I just gave it a slightly different twist.

**Acknowledgements: **Thank you to **auntyk** for the beta =)

* * *

After getting off the roof and driving back to the hotel, Chloe undressed and climbed into the shower. She hadn't gotten a chance to change her clothes or do a thorough job of washing Oliver's blood from her hands before. There were bloodstains, wood splinters and dirt on the bottom of her dress and dried blood underneath her fingernails. Scrubbing her skin till it tingled, she stood under the spray for a long time before shutting the water off and toweling herself dry.

Picking out a pair of fine black wool flared pants and a green halter neck top, she put them on. She didn't bother blow drying her hair, there wasn't time. She'd permed it for the wedding. The stylist had said it would help her fine hair hold the curls better. So these days unless she straightened it, it tended to look a little unruly, especially with the chopped layers. She kept cutting it, and it was growing out but there was still a fair amount of curl left. It served as a constant reminder of the choices she'd made in the past every time she looked in the mirror.

Putting her dirty clothes into a plastic bag, she fished her leather jacket, the one she knew Oliver liked, from the bottom of her suitcase and slid into the sleeves, before zipping up. Packing their suitcases and leaving a tip for room service, she pulled the cases behind her and headed out the door.

Half an hour later, clutching the surveillance disc in her hand, Chloe opened the trunk for the bell boy, as he pulled the luggage trolley following behind. She had her phone to her ear, waiting for Zatanna to pick up. "I have the tape. It's a wide angle view of the entrance to the restaurant. It captures everything she does to Clark and the girl, before her scream takes out the camera. It'll be pretty useless until I run it through a few filters and enlarge the areas we want to focus on. It'll take me a couple hours to get back to the city. In the meantime I'm forwarding you a screen capture of what she looks like. Her second scream forces her head scarf back, and the sunglasses slip. Hopefully it'll give you something to go on for now."

Pulling a five out of her purse, she pressed it into the bellboy's hand. "Thank you." He looked at her car and then back at the bill. Chloe groaned. "Didn't anyone ever teach you not to judge a book by its cover? This car doesn't belong to me; it belongs to a friend who's made of money. Unlike me, who couldn't even afford to cover the electricity bill on my apartment in the city with the wage I earn. So I'm sorry but that's all I've got."

Not waiting to see if she got through to him or not, she slid into the drivers seat and gunned the engine. She'd used Oliver's credit card to cover the hotel bill but she'd stop at anything else. She felt bad enough about using his company's money to build the greenK weapons without discussing it with him first. Even if it took her all her working life, she'd pay that money back. It helped that she was doing a little freelance investigating for someone else on the side, along with her Isis work. You'd think doing Watchtower full-time, running an meteor infected aid foundation and playing under-qualified guidance counselor to troubled youths would leave her with barely enough time to get eight hours sleep in a day but letting things overlap and living on coffee and bagels seemed to get her by with time to pick up another side job. If it hadn't been for that, Oliver might have picked up on her spending well before now. She had been pooling cash from as many sources as she had available to fund her operation. Truthfully, he didn't know the half of her insurance policy.

**Three hours later**

Chloe dropped her keys on the table, and glanced at the monitors across the room. She smiled when she saw Zatanna sitting on one of the couches, a large tome in her lap. "Any leads?"

"I found a reference to her in one of my father's books on Ancient Lore. She's called the Silver Banshee. Betrayed by her brother, she was taken to the netherworld. A being called the Crone granted her power and let her return to Earth but as payment she was to retrieve a book that once belonged to her father. She has scoured the Earth for it, but apparently has yet to find it. My father encountered her twice according to his journals. Both times he used magic to defend himself. Her scream can render a person to ash if she speaks their true name in her cry. Obviously she didn't intend to kill Oliver or Clark, but I couldn't find any reference to an ability to manipulate souls."

Chloe opened the jewel case and put the CD into the drive. She loaded the video and scrolled the footage to the scene of Banshee with the dagger at the girl's chest. "Could it have anything to do with that?"

Zatanna stood and glanced at the main screen. Chloe had captured the frame and enlarged it. The filters continued to sharpen the image as they studied it. Zatanna put her hands on her hips. "It looks old, maybe 16th century? I'll have to go home and have a look through a few more books. I'll..."

The glass of the main window shattered and Chloe instinctively ducked. Two of her computers caught fire, and Chloe got to her feet and ran for the fire extinguisher. Armed with the cylinder, she glanced up to see an imposing figure. Outside in the ink black sky she could just make out a tall dark haired man deck out in dark clothing. His long coat bellowing out in the breeze. "You destroyed my tower. Now we will take yours."

Zatanna, realizing their attacker's intent, threw herself in front of Chloe and raised her hands. "_dleihs su_."

Seconds later the entire room was engulfed in flames. Only a glittering purple bubble protected them both and Chloe could only watch in stunned horror as all her work, her home, burned around them.

"_tropsnart su emoh_."

Chloe watched the flaming Watchtower disappear. In a blink, they were transported to a dimly lit library, a flickering fireplace offering the sole source of light in the room.

Zatanna dropped her shield and she only had a split second to catch Chloe before the woman swayed on her feet. "Easy." She guided Chloe to an armchair and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Why would he do that?"

"Who?" Zatanna asked gently.

"Oliver, why would he destroy the Watchtower?" Her head hurt. She knew he was upset about her keeping secrets. He'd taken her stockpile because he didn't trust her either. Or was it Clark's abilities going to his head. Did he think he could take on Zod by himself? She destroyed his tower? If it had been Oliver back there, the tower reference made no sense.

"It wasn't Oliver, Chloe. I don't know who that was, but it wasn't Oliver. I can guarantee you that." At Chloe's wary look, Zatanna explained. "I thought it best to keep tabs on them both until this is all sorted out. Look at the map."

Chloe looked up at the wall-size global map in a beautifully carved gold leaf frame. There were two glowing blue dots. One of them was zipping backward and forward across it like a ping-pong ball. "I guess that one's Oliver."

Zatanna smiled to herself, while putting her finger to her lip. "He looks pretty busy."

Chloe frowned. Right now he'd stopped over Burma. "What does he think he's doing?"

"Probably squashing military camps, confiscating all their weapons and handing over the leaders to the freedom fighters. Doing all the things he couldn't before."

Chloe shook her head and covered her face with her hands. Huffing against them in frustration, she chewed her bottom lip before looking up at Zatanna. "I can't even find out who that man was because all my camera links were in that tower."

"You didn't have a remote back up?"

Chloe smiled and jumped to her feet. She blamed her sleep deprived brain for not thinking of that first. Isis was her back up system. It was only one-fifth of the operating capacity she'd had at Watchtower but it got the job done. "We need to go back."

"That can wait. We need to track down Silver Banshee and figure out what she's up to. As you know, wishes have a way of getting messy."

Chloe folded her arms and shot Zatanna a withering look. "That's a mild way of putting it."

Plucking up a drawing pad and pencil, Zatanna set them on the desk. "_hcteks hcoorb."  
_  
Chloe folded her arms and watched as the pencil traveled over the paper with brisk strokes. She was getting the hang of interpreting Zatanna's spells. "How did you know it was a brooch?"

"The way two of her fingers were curved. She wasn't holding a handle, it was a circular rim." The pencil dropped, and Zatanna walked over to her scanner to put the image in.

Chloe smirked to herself. "Don't have a spell that could find the reference, say hey presto?" Chloe snapped her fingers.

Zatanna flashed her a smile and inclined her head. "I prefer not to use unnecessary magic. I can exhaust my abilities, therefore diminishing them permanently. I've scanned all of my father's journals into the computer and I'm working on the other volumes in the library. My family's history will never be lost again. I also put a word out to my contacts, if she's anywhere; they'll get wind of it."

"Well fancy that, you have a cap on your magic. I guess I'm stuck wherever here is?"

Zatanna propped a hand on her hip. "You have to be the most disgruntled house guest I've ever had. Granted, you're actually the first guest I've had since I returned. You'll have to just sit down and make yourself comfortable. Shadowcrest is said to be located on the outskirts of Gotham but I'm afraid you're a lot further away from Metropolis than that."

"Said to be? Just where are we?" Chloe asked racing to one of the heavily curtained windows. She threw it open and was greeted by a sparkling, cloudy pink mist.

"The 12th dimension. After my mother died, my father moved the mansion here. The Shadowcrest that stands at our old address is merely an illusion. A fairly convincing one but just a shell. If anyone came looking for me there, they'd find a drafty, empty mansion. Sevita."

An elderly lady dressed in traditional Indian dress, appeared at the door and bowed her head. "Yes, Mistress?"

"Please prepare a room for my guest."

"If you'll follow me please," she said smiling kindly at Chloe.

Chloe felt a chill race down her spine and squeezed her hands together, shooting a glance at Zatanna before taking a step toward the door. This house was dark, full of powerful magical talismans, books, relics and paraphernalia that all gave off a disturbing vibe. She'd love nothing more than to crawl into her bed at the Talon and pretend that this was all some crazy dream. Maybe she could wake up in the morning to discover that the place she'd come to think of as home hadn't burned down. Pulling her cellphone out of her pocket, she checked for messages. There weren't any, but she also didn't have any reception either. Figures. She was in another dimension. "You wouldn't happen to have a phone that works?" Chloe asked.

Zatanna smiled. "Out in the hall. Sevita will show you. And don't worry; I'll come find you the second I have something."

Chloe nodded and left the room. She'd stop worrying once she was seated at a working computer and Oliver was in her ear. Or better yet, she could touch him. The real him and quell this ache in her chest that hadn't left her since she found him bloodied and unconscious in the restaurant.

**Star City**

Oliver held his vertical position with ease. He tried to keep the noise level at normal but ever since he'd started exploring Clark's abilities, the on switch seemed stuck. Yoga had always been able to keep him calm. Sealed in the Arrow room below the mansion, focusing on his breathing and his pulse, he managing to tune out the noise. It had been utter chaos in his head. He'd kept busy for awhile, focusing on the tasks he set for himself. First on the agenda? Shutting down a human trafficking ring he'd been investigating in France but unable to act on without the resources or time. Next? Disabling or confiscating all the weapons from the terror groups in Sudan. He'd briefly considered rounding up all the heads of the most violent oppressive tribes and dropping them on a deserted island for some personal reflection but realized they'd probably just beat each other to death with coconuts, instead he paid each of them a personal visit to put fear in perspective.

His first stop after his joy flight had been to check in on his hometown. He was crushed to discover that while his attention had been focused on Metropolis the streets were back to the same oppressive, dark dealing and drug ridden state they were before he'd started his Green Arrow work. Bi-monthly trips, with a few hours of patrol never revealed the extent to which the city had regressed. Having superhearing, X-ray vision and almost telescopic sight have him clarity he'd never had before.

By midnight, downtown lock up was bursting at the seams and he moved his attention to the next cry for help he'd picked up on. Sunshine or darkness, he was there. He'd opted to don the outfit he'd used once to pose as the Red Blue Blur for Clark instead of the Green Arrow uniform. It offered better wind resistance than the shirt and pants Clark had been wearing but he also didn't want his enemies thinking that Green Arrow was bullet-proof and cracking out heavier artillery for future confrontations.

From his upside down view, he grinned stupidly at the cape dangling from the shoulders of his blue leather hooded jacket draped over the back of his swivel chair. It was a purely adolescent urge but it made flying that much more fun with a cape rippling behind him.

A steady bleeping noise alerted him to his Green Arrow emergency tone. He let his legs fall back and arched into a standing position. Relaxation time was over. The call was from John. Reluctantly, Oliver picked it up.

"What's the emergency?"

The other end of the line was silent for a moment but Oliver picked up the sounds of breathing and the familiar sounds of the 9th Precinct in the background. "I suppose you have your situation well in hand then?"

Oliver snorted. "Making the most of it, about as well in hand as it's going to get. Care to tell me what the five messages you left were about?"

John laughed. "I'm glad to hear that you're taking these strange circumstances so well. You might want to call Chloe though. She's worried."

"Will do," Oliver assured him. "If that's all, I'm kind of busy, John."

The Martian chuckled. "I can tell. Keep well, Oliver."

Oliver hung up the phone and booted up his computer. Impatiently bouncing on his toes, he waited for the log in prompt before he began keying away. His fingers blurred over the keyboard and he had to sit back and wait for what seemed like an age for the processor to catch up. Finally armed with the information he needed, he stuffed the print outs in his jeans and picked up his jacket. He had about a hundred pick ups and drop offs to make. Disarming trip wires and mines would be first, then rounding up all the guns. Then to drop all the hot heads on a raft at the bottom of the Irrawaddy River. He'd heard through his CIA contacts that there were a group of American and British aid workers trying to distribute vital health care in the remote regions of Burma but were unable to get supplies out because of the hostile territory in between. Something that wasn't a problem for him anymore.

Pushing polarized shades into place, he pulled up his hood and flexed his fingers. It was time to put a little fear into the oppressive natives. He picked up his Blackberry and put into his back pocket. It was the best place to put it since he planned on facing his targets. It was unlikely that that his cell would fair as well against bullets the way he would.

**Kent Farm**

Lois slept in the car while they drove back to Smallville. He'd had a lot of time to stew in the dark, with nothing but a quiet stretch of road ahead of him. He didn't like feeling idle and weak. He hadn't heard from Chloe or Zatanna since the hospital. And he kept trying Oliver's phone but it went straight to the message service.

He pulled up to the farm house and gently shook Lois to wake her. She was so deeply asleep; she merely mumbled something incoherent and slapped his hand away. Sighing, he unbuckled his belt and got out of the car. Lifting her out of the passenger side, he carried her into the house and put her down on his bed. Heading back downstairs, he clicked on the TV. It was habit. At the Daily Planet he had his police scanner, at the farm he had to rely on the TV or the radio for news updates or occurrences that could use his help.

"We're outside the Aristides Building in Midtown Metropolis. The fire started on the top floor of the building ten minutes ago and fire-fighters are battling to control the blaze which has already spread to several of the floors below. It's unknown at this time how the fire started or whether anyone was inside at the time. Officials say that because of the sheer height of the building, they might not be able to contain the fire for several hours yet."

Clark stared in horror at the burning building. It was the Watchtower. His gut twisted painfully, he wanted to race over there and blow the thing out but it wasn't till his body didn't just switch into super-speed that he realized he was powerless. "Damn it Oliver. What are you doing?"

He snatched the keys up from the table and sprinted out of the farmhouse. He might not be able to stop it, but he'd be damned if he was going to sit around doing nothing while Chloe's livelihood burned to the ground. It was all she had these days. She'd poured her soul into that place. He was finding it hard to breathe and as he started the engine to Lois' SUV he tasted salt on his lips. He shot a glance at the rear view mirror. His cheeks were streaked with tears. Was it this feeling of helplessness that was causing him to crack under the emotional weight he was feeling? He put Lois' phone into the hands-free cradle and dialed Chloe's number.

"You've called Chloe; I'll hit you back as soon as I'm free. Leave a message at the beep."

"Chloe, it's Clark. I'm on my way to Metropolis, I hope you're okay. Call me back."

Chloe had left the hospital two hours before he'd been released, and when Lois had checked them out of the hotel, she'd learned that Chloe had already left too.

He gunned the engine and planted his foot on the accelerator. If he had to break a few road laws along the way so be it. He had to get to the city; he only hoped the sheriffs were taking it easy at this hour.

**Luthor Mansion  
**  
Tess was reading a book and sipping a glass of brandy when a sudden rush of air blew her hair back. Seeing dark boots and black jean clad legs, appear just in her line of sight, she smiled a little. "I like that you've relaxed the need for secrets between us but you keep showing up like this, threatening to kill me and I'll be forced to rethink where I place my loyalty."

"I think that would be a very wise decision."

Tess stiffened at his voice and lowered her book slowly. "A little late to be making house calls. Feeling threatened?" she asked eying his choice of attire.

Zod looked down his nose at her from where he stood. "You had the chance to stand by my side. You chose to protect Kal-El. Did you know that he had people watching us?" He narrowed his eyes at her, studying her manner and her expression for any hint of betrayal. "Choose your words carefully, Tess, many already think you're a dangerous threat to our people."

"Kal-El only wants to help you and his people. He's done nothing to harm any of you. If my sources are accurate and they wouldn't be in my employ if they were anything but thorough, he saved you and Vala from that warehouse."

Zod tossed a charred booklet at her feet. "These were embedded with tracing devices. Every one of the IDs Kal-El supplied my people with had one. I traced the source. It's been destroyed."

Tess lowered her lids and put her hand to the sofa to hide the tremors. Who was the source and what did he mean it had been destroyed? Chloe was working with Clark. Considering the woman's many talents, she was probably the one who'd forged the passports for him. Tess knew first hand how thorough Chloe was in her methods to protect Clark. What if she did this without his knowledge to keep an eye on the Kandorians herself? If Zod went after Chloe, Clark wouldn't hesitate to step up his game. This could work in her favor if she approached him the right way. Despite his mistrust and aggression toward her, Tess firmly believed that Clark would make ten times the leader that Zod was, and he would lead the most powerful race that ever walked the planet and fulfill the prophecy she read of in Lionel's journals. He would be their savior.

"Have you confronted him about it?"

Zod sneered at her. "Oh I intend to. I only wanted to see if you had any hand in this duplicity."

Tess closed her book and set it on the table in front of her. When she looked up, Zod was gone. Her sixth sense told her that her greatest concern had just revealed itself. Zod had acquired his powers. There was one sure way of proving that theory, but right now she felt a sense of urgency to work on another problem. Swiftly going to her desk, she snatched up the phone and dialed.

"Where is she?"

"I had one of my men follow them out of the city. They said there was an accident at the hotel they were staying at. He is in a local hospital; we stayed with the main target. She went back to Metropolis, straight to the tower. She never left."

"Good," Tess affirmed. "Keep an eye on her."

"Ah Ms. Mercer, have you seen the news?"

Tess curled her hand tighter around the receiver. "No, just tell me what's going on."

"The building's on fire. She never came down."

Tess her heart skip a beat. Chloe Sullivan was dead? "Stay on site. I want to know everyone who's been in and out of that building in the last couple of hours. Get back to me."

"Yes, ma'am."

Dropping the phone to the desk, Tess pushed her palms against the glass surface, staring unblinkingly at her reflection. The future had revealed that she would die at the hands of Chloe Sullivan. The future was wrong.

**Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean  
**  
He was flying back with the last run of drugs and survival rations when his Blackberry beeped in his pocket. It was a GA system alert again. "John," he growled. "Damn it." He realized he hadn't called Chloe yet. He'd been busy, he argued in his defense. Busy doing really important work. He swooped in and set the cargo net down with the gentle thump. Shook the hand of the doctor who stood open mouthed in front of his little hut. "Keep up the great work, Doc." He ascended with a small salute, smiling to himself because the doctor had moved to watch him leave but he still looked dumbstruck.

It felt good to make that kind of impression. As Green Arrow he couldn't really afford to stick around for thanks. And even though he'd formed an understanding and grudging respect with some of the law enforcement in Star City, and he knew John had his back in Metropolis, it was nice not to have to worry that someone was going to come and slap some cuffs on him for vigilantism.

Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he checked the message. It wasn't from John. It was a message from Watchtower. The fail-safe alert. If Watchtower's systems ever went down it sent a single broadcast to all League numbers as a warning. Arms outstretched, and fists curled into a white knuckle grip, he cut through the air as fast as he could push himself.

Oliver flew through the skies of Kansas and could see the flames from well outside the city. He didn't know if it would work, but he'd hazard a guess that if Clark had super strength and endurance then he probably had a fairly decent lung capacity too. He hadn't needed to eat, sleep, drink or take a bathroom break since he'd attained these powers. Filling his lungs, feeling them expand and soaking in air, before he forced it all back out, blowing in the direction of the flames. The orange and red crackling heat faded in a blink. Black smoke curled around the domed tower rooftop before dissipating entirely, leaving the utterly defaced once glittering beacon for the city now nothing but a scorched and blackened shell. There was an eruption of cheers from below, and he could see fire crew shutting off their hoses in surprise, wide grins on their faces.

Focusing on the top floor, he scoured the building. There were no signs of human remains. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't there. They must have gotten everyone out in time. He tried her cellphone quickly and swore when it went straight to voice-mail. "Come on, Chloe, where are you?"

He was about to turn away when a flash of movement caught his eye. He switched back to X-ray and saw a figure crouched among the debris in the Watchtower.

Oliver hovered closer to the broken stain glass window, watching the stranger in black walking among the rubble that remained of Chloe's systems. He seemed to be inspecting them. He barely touching anything save for lifting things lightly with a pair of tweezers before lowering them back into place. He was in the process of scooping a small amount of ash into a small plastic bag when his posture stiffened. He didn't make any sudden movements but Oliver could tell that his presence had been made. He flew in through the window frame and up to the catwalk. Landing lightly, he surveyed the moonlit floor below. The stranger was nowhere to be seen.

"Who are you supposed to be? The Red Blue Blur?"

Oliver smiled. He had to give the guy props; he'd managed to sneak up on him. Considering his hearing had improved times a 100 percent recently, that was a pretty impressive feat. Taking in his costume, Oliver realized who the stranger was. "You're a long way from home, aren't you? You sure you want to be here? Didn't think you were the type to play well with others."

"I have business here. And considering this is the second building to spontaneously combust in about as many weeks, it warranted serious attention."

"Business huh? Funny, so do I," Oliver said humorlessly. He studied the silent imposing figure that lurked in the shadows. He was dressed in all black in a costume that resembled a giant bat, complete with sweeping cape. He'd read about the crusader who dressed up like a Bat scaring the thugs and mobsters off the streets in Gotham City. He stared at the face almost completely covered by the cowl. It was only a thought and the next thing he knew, he was staring at the face of an old friend. "Bruce?" he whispered in disbelief.

Batman didn't acknowledge the statement. His face didn't change from its stony expression.

"What was your business with Chloe Sullivan?" the grating voice demanded.

Oliver took a steadying breath; suddenly he didn't feel so good. So this wasn't just about the fires. He knew exactly who he was looking for and who this place belonged to. This was her other source. Wayne Enterprises had once been the DOD's biggest contractor. They had twice the amount of projects running at any one time than Luthorcorp, in advanced weaponry and military tech. And now what he knew the guy's extracurricular interests, the connection made sense. But how had she contacted him and when? A surge of jealousy made his hands curl into fists. Bruce was a notorious womanizer, and he was tall, dark and pretty attractive according to tabloid polls. Physically he was Chloe's type, and if she knew about Batman then he was her hero type too. Tall, dark and brooding.

"I should ask you the same thing," Oliver said between his teeth.

They stood there for a long moment neither one willing to speak first. They stared at each other from where they stood in a Mexican stand off type confrontation.

"We need a more secure location," Oliver said finally. "Follow me." He sailed out of the window and into the night sky. A grapple line flew past his shoulder and lodged into a building a fair distance away. Batman jumped off the window ledge and deployed his cape. Oliver let out a whistle. He was impressed.

Bruce took base jumping to new heights. Taking off in the direction of the Clocktower, Oliver occasionally checked behind to see if his friend was keeping up. In the distance, he spotted a dark figure jumping roof tops and gliding between buildings. He smirked to himself. This meeting might actually be fun.

**The street, Midtown Metropolis  
**  
He stood in the crowd staring up at the building. Many of the news crews still lingered interviewing other tenants and firemen over what happened. Lois would probably kill him later for not waking her or working the story himself but he had other things on his mind. Like why he couldn't reach Oliver or Chloe. Besides it would be rather strange if Oliver Queen asked to interview people for the Daily Planet. The only consolation he felt that was that Oliver had obviously shown up and put the fire out in time to save the rest most of the tower and stop it from spreading to surrounding buildings.

"Fancy seeing you here," a familiar voice greeted from behind him.

Clark cringed inwardly. While he felt bad for accusing her with only Zod's say so to go on, he was far from thinking that Tess was trust worthy or innocent. She'd had his father taken from his house and from what Chloe told him, she'd been watching him since the cameras went online at the farm. He was beginning to think that despite the benefits of having someone watch his home while he was absent, which was a lot of the time, having the cameras there was looking more like a security risk. At least Chloe had taken the audio down. Not that any of it mattered anymore with Chloe's entire network reduced to twisted pieces of melted plastic and metal.

"What do you want Tess?" he asked, turning away his face away from her to look back at the building. He almost forgot again that he wasn't himself. He had no idea how Oliver acted around Tess but he'd doubt that Oliver had any reason to be clipped or rude to her. If anything, he had good reason to suspect that Oliver had a weakness where Tess was concerned. Hadn't he confessed to spending $10 billion on a merger between their companies to impress her? Sure he was slightly obsessed with owning everything that had once belonged to Lex, but Clark didn't doubt that Oliver cared for Tess.

"Touchie. Considering I pointed out your money drain before you landed in the red, you should be thanking me. I hope the thief was suitably punished. Personally, I would have buried them but that's where you and me differ. You always had a weakness for blondes."

Clark narrowed his eyes and felt his jaw tighten instinctively. Her tone made him think that Tess wasn't trying to be subtle. She wanted him to know she was onto him about something. "I had an investigator do a little digging myself, care to explain this?"

Tess thrust a bunch of prints into his hands and Clark stared at them. They were of Chloe and Oliver entering a container. The contents had an eerie green hue to them. They looked like weapons. He kept his head down and his face impassive. She was hoping for a reaction. He wouldn't give her one. "Explain what? A shipping container?"

Tess sighed. "Planning on going to war with someone?" She pulled his arm and tugged him into an alley. "Listen Oliver, I know about your little band of merry men," she whispered harshly. "Took me a while to piece it together and follow the arrows but it all points to you - Green Arrow. You might think you've got it all figured out, and from the future I saw, you might've actually pulled it off, but trust me, things have changed. I have a guy in play that will work a lot better than you and your little toys and better yet, nobody has to get hurt. You might not think I have a heart, but I do care Ollie. So pack up and go home, before he comes after you next."

Clark shook her loose and stepped back from her. "You know who went after Chloe?" He didn't really need her to answer, he could tell by the look on her face.

Tess smiled with a look of cool satisfaction. "So you were sleeping with her. If it's any comfort at all, I can guarantee you he was quick. I can't say I'm sorry. I can sleep a little better knowing she's not around to shoot at me anymore."

Clark just reacted. He took Tess by the throat and ran her into the wall opposite. "She killed you because you sold out your own people. Zod herded them like animals, branded and killed them without mercy and you just stood there with him. You helped him."

Tess gasped and clawed at his fingers, she couldn't breathe and the look of rage on his face told her that he wasn't going to let her go. Tears pooled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.

All the times he'd wanted to hurt her came bubbling to the surface. She was always in the wrong place. It couldn't be more obvious. Lex was gone but the bodies kept piling up and the leads always came back to the same place. There was only one person at the top of Luthorcorp with that much nerve and lack of humanity. She couldn't be allowed to continue. She had Eva steal the key to the Phantom Zone from him. She was the one who released Zod and the others from the Orb. She'd tricked Bette and a group of metahumans into hunting down Davis, knowing they wouldn't be able to stand up to him. And when they didn't do the job she wanted, she'd killed them. She'd kidnapped Lois from hospital and experimented on her. His gut twisted and he nearly released her under the weight of guilty he felt at that memory. He'd never apologized to Chloe for accusing her of kidnapping Lois. If it weren't for Chloe's resourcefulness and commitment to protecting all of them, he might have died from kryptonite exposure and Lois might have stayed in a permanent coma. It was people like Tess that made him critical of everyone's actions. She swore to him once that she was nothing like Lex; that he could trust her. Oh, he could trust her alright. He believed with absolute certainty that right now she was more dangerous than Lex had ever been.

Tess started to feel her lips tingle. Her eyelids slid closed.

Clark hissed in pain and released his hold on Tess. A dark shadow flew past him and Tess disappeared from where she'd slumped at his feet. Oliver, he thought bitterly.

His coat pocket vibrated. He gingerly rolled his shoulder as he fished for his phone. He looked at the caller ID and his heart did a quick flip-flop in his chest.

_ "Clark, I saw the news. Where are you?"_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville, nor do I claim to own any other characters therefore owned by DC comics. Credit for the Silver Banshee story goes to Superman/Batman Issues #53 - #56 by Green, Johnson, Rags, Morales & Dell. I just gave it a slightly different twist.

**Acknowledgements: **Thank you to **auntyk** for the beta =)

* * *

**Clocktower rooftop**

Oliver sat on top of the clock and let his feet hang over the face.

Bruce caught up to him and shot a grapple line up to where he sat, climbing the clock face to crouch next to him.

"Where would she go?" he asked gruffly.

"There's a few places I can think of but I've been searching for her voice since I heard about the fire. She's either not talking or..." He thought he saw his old friend's lips curve in a smile.

"Sullivan's remarkably resilient. God help the enemy if they do have her."

Oliver had to crack a smile at that. Chloe was a fighter. They'd never break her. Only her friends could do that, he though bitterly. "How'd she get to you?" he asked putting his hands on the ledge.

Bruce looked out at the city. "She confronted me one night. Said I needed to 'expand my horizons'. That there were bigger threats out there besides the lowlifes thumbing it to the law in Gotham City. Gave me a micro disc with everything she'd put together on me. She'd compiled everything. Shell company transactions, equipment orders, prototype designs, geographic images, time stamped surveillance of both of my identities."

"She's always thorough," Oliver said with a grin. "And it all starts with a hunch. Reporter's instinct."

Bruce growled. "I hate the press."

"Me too, but they have their uses, and Chloe kind of grows on you."

Bruce stood and looked like he was preparing to leave. "Yes, she does. Listen, I have a feeling she'll turn up but in the meantime tell Queen there's a package he needs to keep a lid on. Tell Chloe I kept up my end of the deal. My focus will always be my city."

And without another word, he was gone.

Oliver sat there for a few minutes longer before drifting down to his balcony. Breaking the lock, he quickly crossed the room and stopped short at the hulking great case in the middle of his living room.

Circling it quietly, he realized this was what Bruce must have been referring too. There was a palm scanner on the front of the case. On impulse he put his hand on it.

"Scanning. Access denied."

He grit his teeth. Chloe hadn't trust him enough to clue him in on her weapons attaché, why would he think she'd put his biometrics into this. Before he could kick the thing in frustration, he pondered the reason why Bruce would deliver it to him unless he had a way of knowing what it was and why it needed to be kept hidden. He caught his reflection in the glass of the wall that hid the Arrow room and smirked widely as a thought occurred to him. Of course, there was nothing stopping him from sneaking a covert peek.

He switched to X-ray vision but was irked to discover he couldn't see through the case. It was lead lined. She was nothing if not paranoid and extremely thorough. He'd have to settle for patience this time around. Of course, if he didn't find her soon, he'd actually have to finish that thought from before. The one that had his gut in knots and made his chest ache. He had to believe she was alive. But if she was, why hadn't she called him already?

He pulled out his Blackberry and called her again. She didn't answer. Sitting on his lounge, he put his head in his hands and ran his fingers through his hair roughly. He'd probably made a bird's nest out of it, Clark's hair was a lot longer than his but he really didn't care.

Then his phone vibrated. He saw the name on his screen and couldn't stop grinning.

When he heard her voice, he homed in on that distant source of the echo and pulled her into a crushing embrace.

**Earlier, Shroud's Pub, Scotland**

Chloe ducked as another plate went sailing over her head. She'd asked one question. Just one. 'Had anyone seen Siobhan McDougal?' Considering the brooch had magical properties and the fact that they hadn't been able find any trace of Silver Banshee, they'd gone to Scotland on the assumption that maybe if wishes were granted, perhaps she had reclaimed her humanity and freed herself from the Crone's hold. It would explain why they couldn't trace of her magical signature.

Seems the McDougal clan had been very unpopular with these locals. Granted they weren't normal locals. She had yet to see a human face aside from Zatanna's in the entire place. "Zee, a little help?" Chloe grunted when a small body tackled her into a table.

_"ydobyrever ezeerf."_

Chloe blinked. Her spell hadn't been all that specific, she shouldn't be able to move at all and looking around there were a few other heads turning in Zatanna's direction too. This was a place full of mythical creatures and the magically endowed; it was probably her tone that demanded attention more than her spell. Zatanna could be quite imposing when she wanted to be. Hands on her hips, her piercing blue eyes fixing each occupant in the room with a cool glare before she relaxed her posture a little.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves. This is a place to meet and make friends, not pummel each other black and blue. Everyone buy the person next to them a drink and relax." Folding her arms with a curt nod, everyone seemed to breathe simultaneously and casually walk for the bar.

"Wow. You're pretty scary, you know that?" Chloe said with a shaky laugh. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"I don't have a bad side. If I'm tempted even a little... let's just say I prefer looking the way I do now. There's a fine line between using magic for good and for evil. My father spent a large part of his adult life trying to undo the mistakes of his youth. As you probably recall, cursing objects and making people miserable, just because you can, often has a way of turning ugly. And not just for the intended individual. Dark magic corrupts from the inside out. By the time you notice, you're already too far gone."

"I'm sorry."

Zatanna tilted her head and shrugged. "I'm learning he's not the man I believed him to be, but that's okay too because he was only human. Even so, I'll always remember him as the greatest magician of all time, and the best father a girl could wish for."

"I think we've found her," Chloe said with a nod to a lone figure in a curtained booth. She wore a dark cloak; very similar to the one Silver Banshee had worn at the restaurant.

"I think you may be right."

Chloe pulled out her cellphone. She hadn't tried calling anyone until now, previously reception had been impossible. Looking at the screen she noticed that she had about a thirty missed calls. From Clark, Lois, Oliver, Bart, Victor, Dinah and even John.

Returning the call to the number she recognized as Oliver's Green Arrow Blackberry, she tentatively asked, "Ollie, what's going on?"

He appeared at her side in the next two seconds. He was crushing her to his chest. "I thought you were dead, we turned the tower upside down and then Bruce showed up and.. you know what, doesn't matter, you're alive." He was beaming at her with that perfect face of her childhood best friend and she couldn't hold back her own teary smile.

"Put me down and stop crushing me, you big goof. What on earth are you wearing?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Red Blue Blur, don't like it?" He reluctantly released her and took a step back to show off his jacket and cape.

"You look a little ridiculous. Green's a much better look on you. Kinda hot..."

Oliver wagged an eyebrow at her and scooped her up, twirling her around again.

A loud cough interrupted their antics. "We're here on a job, remember?" Zatanna said in amusement.

Oliver looked through the fabric that cloaked the woman from view. He recognized her face, vaguely. It was the young woman from the restaurant. Only she wasn't young anymore. He set Chloe down but took her hand in his and strode over to the woman and put his hand on her forearm gently. "What happened to you?"

The old woman looked up at him; one of her eyes was fully clouded by cataracts. "I think I know you. Were we friends?"

Oliver laughed uncomfortably. "No, but I was there when..." He stopped short, his attention caught by the brooch dangling from a fine chain around her neck. The dagger in the middle was familiar.

"It's the brooch of Cawdor." Zatanna said simply.

"I wanted more than anything to be young again. To feel whole. It granted me my wish but at a price. I've wanted to take it off, but it's so heavy. I just don't have the strength. Would you help me?"

Zatanna put a finger to her lips. "The brooch granted her, her heart's desire. That must mean that you wished to be Clark, and he you."

"What?" Oliver snorted, straightening and scratching the back of his head. "No way. I'm happy just the way I am."

Chloe pulled her hand from his and frowned at him, folding her arms over her chest. "Really? You don't feel like you can do more? You're not happier having powers?"

"I don't want to be Clark."

"You're not a little jealous that Clark and Chloe are the ones with the long intensive history and that she'll always be loyal to him, no matter what?" Zatanna argued.

Chloe and Oliver both turned to her mouths agape.

"That's not true," Chloe spluttered.

Oliver merely closed his mouth and dropped his gaze to the floor.

Zatanna rolled her eyes and took the brooch from the old woman's chest. She made a living by understanding people's desires and giving them illusions to satisfy their wants. While they might have convinced themselves that they were perfectly happy as they were, their hearts said otherwise. Chloe would always feel less than confident in her ability to capture the hero's heart and Oliver would always feel inadequate as a leader while surrounded by men with super-abilities. Not to mention the most pressing issue that Oliver felt Chloe was still hurting over Clark's detachment and neglect, and it was causing her to hold him at arms length. Present circumstances not helping matters.

_"kaerb kcol fo erised. eerf eht drawyaw luos."_

A burst of light enveloped them all before the Silver Banshee appeared.

"I'm free," she screeched triumphantly.

"She's disappearing," Chloe cried.

Zatanna closed her hand around the brooch. "We have what we came for. She'll turn up again."

Oliver caught the now young woman that was falling from the seat. "At least she's back to normal."

"Banshee bound herself to the body with the brooch. Now that the parasitic curse has been lifted, they're both free."

"What about me?"

"We have to find Clark first."

"I'll tell him to meet us at Isis. It'll probably take him a little while to get there. In the meantime, I can look into who set my building on fire."

**Isis Foundation**

Chloe hovered over her computers willing them to go faster. Zatanna was dozing on the sofa in the reception area and Oliver was pacing the floor in her office. What had changed his mood all of a sudden was anyone's guess.

"Okay before you wear a hole in my floor, care to tell me what's on your mind?"

"Bruce," he said simply. As if the name said it all.

"Yes?" Chloe asked. "Care to add a last name, or do I get to play twenty questions," she said without glancing away from the monitor.

Strong hands closed around her upper arms, turning her to face him. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I know you're used to getting your way with everyone Oliver but I'm getting pretty tired of you manhandling me."

Oliver had to release her quickly before his curling fingers could crush her. Good thing Clark had a better handle on his emotions than he did, or there'd be a trail of destruction wherever he went. Remembering he had super-strength seemed to slip his mind when he got angry. "We've been here ten minutes and already you're treating me like the plague. It's no wonder Clark can't stand being within two feet of you if you look at him the way you're looking at me now. I'd avoid you too."

Chloe slapped her hand down on the desk. "This has nothing to do with Clark. This is about you and your need to uncover everything, even if it doesn't have anything to do with you!"

"My money, my business," Oliver yelled back.

Chloe fought the urge to roll her eyes. So they were back at that again. She'd already showed him what she'd done with it, she'd explained her reasons and she hadn't even argued with him when he'd moved the cargo and refused to tell her the new location. When was he going to let that go and move on already? "It wasn't all your money," Chloe answered folding her arms over her chest.

"Right, you had another guy with deep pockets to pick."

Chloe saw red and stalked toward him; she stomped on his foot breaking her heel and felt the jarring all the way to her teeth.

Oliver smirked down at her. "Feel better."

"What do you want from me?" she cried bitterly. Sinking into her desk chair. Burying her face in her hands, she felt him massaging the tension in her shoulders.

"I want you to let it all go. You've convinced yourself you're not angry at him and you're taking it out on everything and everyone else. Well not everyone, just me mostly."

"I'm not angry," Chloe whispered bitterly.

"No?" Oliver prompted. "Really, it doesn't tick you off that he started calling Lois as the Blur, confiding in her? It didn't make you angry that he didn't stick around like a best friend should after Jimmy? I doesn't hurt that he prefers to jump to conclusions about everything you do these days rather than just ask you about it or talk to you first? Come on Chloe, I'm right here. You can scream, yell, break things on me do whatever it takes to let it out, because I'm sick of seeing you burying it all. The dam's gonna break sometime and it's never pretty, so have at it."

Chloe launched herself out of the seat and grabbed the vase nearest and threw it at him. "That's for making me care about you, even though it's obvious you out grew our friendship a long time ago."

The keyboard came next. "That's for using me as your personal search engine for years without so much as, sorry I keep barging in on your life. Oh no, you don't have a life so it doesn't matter."

The picture frame on her desk left her hands and cracked into a dozen pieces slicing through his already holey jacket. "That's for walking out on me. Leaving me with the guilt of Jimmy's death to process on my own. I did it for you, you bastard. I walked away from everyone, from everything, to protect you! You!" Chloe ran at him and beat uselessly against his chest.

Strong hands encircled her wrists and held her still against that solid wall of immovable male.  
Chloe sagged against him, emotionally and physically drained. She'd had about half an hour of sleep in the last twenty four and she was exhausted. She was tired of convincing herself that she didn't see Clark. It didn't matter that he smiled like Oliver and snarked like Oliver, all she saw was Clark. It started when he'd crashed into their hotel room and since then her heart had been stretched and pushed to the limit. Her brain could only reason so much before it hit overload. Staring up through watery eyes, Chloe found blue-green ones staring back down at her. Only they weren't smirking or pinched with dry humor. They were full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry," his said his voice hoarse. "Should have said it a long time ago. Should have been a better friend. Chloe, I'm so sorry."

Chloe pulled back and wrestled her arms free. Wiping her eyes, she let out a dry laugh. "It's okay, Ollie. You're right, it was cathartic."

"It's Clark, actually."

Her gaze flew to the sound of Oliver's voice coming from the doorway to reception. Zatanna was standing next to him.

"When?" she asked her voice breaking, trying and failing to avoid making eye contact with Clark who was staring at her like he was the most heartless person in the world. How much had he heard?

"I heard all of it from outside, but I think we switched when you threw that old Crater Lake picture at me," Clark said with an uncomfortable smile.

It was a deep flaw that he had when it came to Chloe. Over the years of their friendship, anything that he didn't understand or couldn't begin to fix, he ignored. Like the fact that he knew that she'd had feelings for him in their Junior and Senior years and he continued to moan about Lana anyway. He'd taken advantage of the fact that Chloe was always willing to put their friendship and his feelings first. She was always bright and positive, a pillar of strength and reason, never letting anything get her down. She always put her friends first, even when they didn't deserve it, even if they'd jumped to conclusions and accused her of the worst things. It wasn't the first time he'd neglected her loyalty and jumped down her throat. He'd done it plenty of times when he'd been hung up on Lana, and now that he had Lois, he'd done exactly the same thing again. He realized that she'd accepted her part in his life years ago. She had loved Jimmy and now it looked like she had something with Oliver. The least he could have done was be a decent friend to her. Even if it had been impossible for him to confront his fears after Jimmy's death, he should have been honest with her about his reasons for leaving. It wasn't about his Kryptonian side or human side. It was simply that he was weak. He'd put off training for long enough, and while he knew Chloe would never hold him back from being a better person, he had worried that she wouldn't want him turning to Jor-El for guidance. She'd stopped him once before, when he'd wanted to send Davis to the Phantom Zone. He knew now that his timing had sucked. If only he'd told her the truth, then maybe he wouldn't have hurt her so badly and they wouldn't be as far gone as they were now. He owed her more than he could ever make up to her, but he was done ignoring the signs.

Chloe snorted a laugh and hugged herself looking anywhere but at any of them. "Well, since I'm already on a roll and knee deep in painful confessions I might as well tell you that someone's onto me. After all my days of playing eye in the sky, someone's finally traced me."

Clark nodded, remembering all too readily the pain that had tore into him when he'd believed she could be dead. "Tess implied we should back off from whatever it is you guys have been planning." He walked over to where Oliver was standing and took the photos from him. Offering them to Chloe, he let his arms drop to his sides. "You built them anyway, didn't you?"

Chloe looked at the picture of Oliver and herself inspecting the container. "She gave these to you?"

"I was Oliver. She gave them to him. She wanted to protect him. I think she knows who took out Watchtower and she wanted Oliver to leave Zod to her. She thinks you're dead."

"Maybe we can use this to our advantage," Chloe said putting the prints on the table lightly.

"See? She thinks like him too, and nobody else gets it. Tall, dark and broody..."

Chloe shot Oliver a disbelieving look. "Shut it Broody 2.0. You pretend I haven't seen you sulking behind a bottle of Jack."

Oliver shrugged his shoulders and pushed his hands into his jean pockets. "I'm just saying, I get that he's your type."

"Oliver, please shut up. Clark, you know I did this because I had too. It was to protect all of us," Chloe said tilting her head to meet his eyes.

"I trust you Chloe, but I had to believe I could save him. It's what Jor-El asked of me. He died protecting me and that's all he wanted."

"Sometimes you just can't save everyone, Clark."

"I know that," he contested quietly, his shoulders slumping, his gaze shifting to the floor before he grit his jaw with determination, finding the courage to meet her eyes again. "But I have to try."

She squeezed his forearm and smiled a little. "I guess you do."

"So what's the plan now?" Oliver interjected.

Chloe turned and walked back to her computer only to discover she was missing a keyboard. "Right now. I need an upgrade."

**A few hours later**

Clark sped her to the Clocktower. Oliver left Isis on his own to head home a short while before. They didn't have any facial shots of their arsonist but adding up the clues: the build of their perpetrator, his attire and Tess' warning, they were pretty confident Zod had painted a target on her back. The plan was to let their enemies believe they'd taken her out of the picture. It meant explaining things to Lois and staying hidden but it wouldn't change her work role at all. She was used to spending long days virtual isolation. Even Lois didn't know what she got up to in the Watchtower apartment.

Chloe was waiting for Oliver when he exited the elevator.

"You can stay here until we find a more permanent solution to keep you safe."

Chloe stood slowly and wrung her hands together. He frowned at her obvious nervous gesture.

"I guess his man finished it earlier than he thought," she said gesturing at the case.

Oliver buried his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a pair of Clark's jeans. They were a little big around the waist but the belt buckle held them up. The plaid shirt wasn't his color of choice either, blue with white stripes but it was comfortable. "He was kind of cryptic about it. You going to tell me what it is?"

"You can see for yourself," she gestured to the hand panel. "Any one of us can access it."

"I tried it already," he said numbly not moving from where he stood outside the elevator.

Chloe huffed and stalked over to him. Taking his hand, she tugged him along and pressed his hand on the scanner. "You tried it as Clark, right?"

_"Scanning. Access granted."_

The locks released with a clack and the hinges inched open with a quiet whoosh of air.

They took a step back so the lid could part properly, and Chloe watched his face with bated breath.

Oliver just stared. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. It was all black. Understandably considering the source but it was way too big to have been designed for her. It looked similar to Batman's armored suit and at first glance it seemed to heavily constrict movement, but he remembered how easily Bruce had maneuvered in his and realized that looks could be deceiving.

"What is it exactly?" he asked in curious awe.

"It's Prometheus Revisited. If the red sun ever happened, Clark might have been able to use it but I didn't put his biometrics in because honestly, I wasn't sure I could trust him to make the right decision."

"So it absorbs meteor rock radiation?" Oliver asked his eyebrow arching high.

Chloe rounded his desk and opened his drawer. Finding the Arrow room control, she opened the door. Climbing the stairs and heading inside she collected a greenK dart and returned to the case where Oliver was still standing.

Holding it up to the armor, a small charge transferred between them, leaving the dart colorless. "Nano technology. A self-repairing micro skin that absorbs greenK radiation; only the wearer can remove the armor. It's been tested to withstand 10,000 psi without buckling. Of course, because of the near instantaneous repair, even if you took a hit, it'd bounce back. The internal hydraulics exerts about the same about of force, so it packs a fair punch. It's also capable of flight."

Oliver let out a low whistle. "Does it come with laser canons too?" he joked with a smirk.

Chloe merely rolled her eyes. "Being invincible didn't improve your jokes, funny man. Electro-magnetic radiation pulse weapons." She lifted one of the forearms and pushed to release a paneled section. It revealed a small green canister. "It requires separate refueling."

Oliver raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. "You realize this technology would be deadly in the wrong hands right?"

"We had an understanding. The blueprints and all correspondence would be destroyed. This is the only suit."

"And you trust him?"

Chloe shrugged. "Do you? I don't think he trusts anyone, but he realizes the risks we're facing and he understands when to make allies out of like-minded individuals."

"Tell me again why you're here with me?" he asked quietly. Meeting Bruce again he realized that he and Chloe had far more in common that he was first willing to admit. They were both very focused, intelligent and had an uncanny gift with technology. They also seemed to share a similar view on justice and the ends justifying the means.

Chloe inclined her head and reached up to cup his cheek with her palm. Standing on her toes, she brushed her lips against his. "You're exactly the hero I want." She rocked back to her feet and stepped away.

Oliver didn't let her retreat. He swept her up and pulled her against him. Bending his head, he pressed a passionate kiss against her lips before pulling back to touch his nose to hers. He inched the zipper on her jacket down and slid his hands over her shoulders to push the jacket off her body. It slid down her arms and hit the floor with a soft thwack. Palming her back, he groaned lightly that her skin was exposed there; he had direct contact with her warm body. He pulled her up off her feet. Lifting her so they were level, nose to nose, he kissed her again.

"1462 Pike Place, Seattle," he said pulling back from her lush mouth, breathing lightly against her moist lips.

Chloe looped her arms around his neck and hooked her legs around his hips. Leaning closer, she whispered against his mouth while nipping at his bottom lip, "What's there?" Truthfully, not all that interested in his answer. She was interested in fact that his hands had slipped under her top and his thumbs were currently rubbing light circles over her stomach in a delicious torturous way.

"That's where I sent them. Bart shifted them to a truck and drove it there. Dinah's babysitting it. I figured since you trusted her with designing them, you wouldn't mind her looking after them."

Chloe smiled and pressed her mouth against his, kissing him till they were both breathless.

"No more secrets okay?" he whispered against her neck.

Cupping the sides of his head, she inclined his face so that he would be able to see her eyes. Placing a light kiss on his lips, she moistened her lips before answering without breaking eye contact. "Deal. Now please take me to bed before I pass out, Romeo. I'm beyond exhausted."

Oliver chuckled and smacked her lightly on the bottom. "Sure thing, Goldilocks, but come morning, all bets are off." He started climbing the short flight of steps near the bookshelves.

Chloe poked him in the ribs for his brazen move, and he jerked back, crashing into the safety rail. "Hey, you do realize that if I fall while carrying you, you fall too?"

Chloe playfully shrugged with a grin and nodded over his shoulder to the window. "It's morning already, Genius." She felt his fingers slip down under the waistband of her pants and into her underwear. His fingers caressing her bottom. "Please, I need sleep," she begged with a small cry. The first rays of sunshine were just filtering through the balcony's glass doors.

"Okay, just this once. But next time I'm drugging you with coffee."

At the mere mention of her favored beverage, Chloe seemed to perk up. "Maybe I can stay awake for ten more minutes," she mused thoughtfully, tilting her head and chewing on her bottom lip.

Oliver shook his head and kissed the tip of her nose. "You're tired, and what I have in mind will take longer than ten minutes." He continued walking them up the spiral stairs to his bedroom and dropped them both onto the bed. Landing lightly above her, bracing himself on his arms, he reached down, and pulled off her black pumps. Loosening the laces, he toed off Clark's work boots. Scooting to his side of the bed, he puffed up a pillow and bunched it under his head before reaching for her, pulling her closer. She snuggled back against his chest and pulled his arm around her waist, lacing her fingers between his.

Chloe rested her arm over his; she held their hands to her stomach. His weight was warm and solid. At her neck she could feel his breath against her jaw. His scent was soothing and familiar. Her eyelids drifted shut and she breathed in deeply. A small smile graced her lips when she felt his nose at the back of her head.

"Sleep well, Chloe."

"Mmmhmmm," she mumbled squeezing his hand.

Oliver ran his fingers through her blonde locks and leaned on his elbow to press a kiss to her temple. "Sorry our escape didn't go exactly as planned."

Chloe snickered, her eyes still closed. "Isn't that the norm for us? Expect the unexpected. Love that you tried though. The garden was beauti-ful and after… was kinda fun..." she said her words beginning to slur.

"Ah huh. Give me half a chance and I might impress you yet."

He awoke later to small hands trailing over his chest. He blinked across at her and she smiled saucily at him. She'd opened every button on his shirt and was tugging at his belt. He rolled onto his back, to let her work. She pulled the belt free and popped the button on his jeans, sliding the zipper down.

He reached up behind her neck and pulled the bow that held her the straps of her halter in place. He let the fabric fall and was greeted by her perfect, pale, rosy tipped breasts. He pressed his hands to them, cupping them gently, measuring their weight, relishing the knowledge of how well they fit in his hands. He rubbed his thumbs over her peaks watching them darken and harden to small pebbles under his touch.

"Lose the clothes," she ordered him in a no-nonsense matter. Unzipping the concealed zip on her hip, she wriggled out of her pants and bunched her top in her hands, before whipping it over her head.

Oliver swallowed and kept his eyes fixed on her milky lightly freckled skin, drinking her in while he made short work of divesting his clothing. He tossed the white briefs that didn't belong to him, to a far corner of the room. He'd be happy if he never had to lay eyes on them again. Pulling her against his length, he put his thumb under the strap of her lace panties. "You're not naked enough."

Chloe grinned at him and kissed his lips. "Thought you'd like to do the honors."

He rolled over her and smirked at down at her as he pinned her with his lower body. "Definitely."

About twenty minutes later, he was watching a gloriously naked blonde wreathe uncontrollably underneath him. Her golden hair fanned out across his pillows like a bright halo. Her body was glistening in the midday sun, a fine sheen of sweat coating her skin. Her breathing was erratic and her fingers curled in to his biceps as she arched off the bed.

"Ollie," she cried.

Her muscles tightened around him and he thrust once more before he released himself inside her. Her walls squeezed him mercilessly, pulsing, carrying his seed into her center. He held himself over her, the chords in his neck tight, his arms trembling and sweat trailing down his spine. Oliver hooked his arm under her back and flipped them over.

Chloe let her legs spread over him. She trailed one foot along the side of his calf, coming to rest under the soft part of his knee. She leaned against his chest, feeling utterly blissful and limp. She couldn't manage much movement save prolonging her climax, gently pushing down again, rubbing her intimate flesh against his pelvic bone.

Oliver groaned and clamped his hands on her hips to stop her movement. "Woman, you're gonna kill me."

Chloe lifted her head and met his heavy lidded gaze. She smirked at him and kissed the corner of his mouth, and then his dimpled chin. She rested against his chest, and reached up running her hands through his hair. It was a lot more scruffy than usual and easily pliable. The soft strands tickling the sensitive skin between her fingers. There wasn't a trace of hair product in it. She found she enjoyed the sensation a lot. "I think I'm gonna hide your hair gel."

Oliver took her wrist and rolled them to the side. He slid away from her, and Chloe pouted in protest at the loss of intimate contact. He put his hand around her thigh and hooked her knee over his hip. "Better?"

She grinned at him and continued playing with his hair.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked taking in her thoughtful expression.

Chloe's eyes shuttered for a moment. Before she put her hand over his heart and stared into his warm chocolate brown eyes. "Truth?"

Oliver thinned his lips and put his index finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to his. "I thought we agreed that's the only way we can operate?"

Chloe nodded and heaved a sigh, looking down at his chest before shifting against him and biting back a smile as his thumb caressed the underside of her breast. "How can I concentrate at all when you're doing that?"

"Doing what?" he said innocently, while continue to outline one of her breasts.

Chloe put a hand over his heart and then curled forward, to snuggle under his chin. She wrapped an arm over him and pressed herself against him. "I was just wondering how long I'll get to feel this for," she said her lips brushing against the hollow of his neck.

Oliver stopped breathing for a moment, contemplating her words. His first thought was that she believed he'd leave her or worse that he'd cheat on her. But it was this sad air that followed the words that made him think it wasn't that at all. She thought fate had destined to bring them to an end. Pain and death. Something inevitable in her mind. That's all she'd known. He wrapped her in his embrace and hugged her tight, his palm spanning the small of her back. He hoped she could feel the thudding of his heart. One that beat only for her. Something he hadn't believed would ever happen to a man like him. Even with Lois he hadn't thought long term. He was never that kind of guy; until now apparently. He couldn't imagine his future without her in it. He couldn't imagine not being able to hold her. There was a slightly burning behind his eyes at the mere thought of it and his throat threatened to close over. He sucked air through his nose and forced those dark thoughts away. "I'll be here, Chloe. As long as you want me," 'And even if you didn't', he added silently, his chest constricting. "I'm not going anywhere."

She didn't say anything, but she nodded against his chest. They couldn't afford to make dreams. Not in their line of work. Take fun where you can get it. Smile when life gives you a chance too. Hold onto someone for as long as you're allowed to have them, but don't dream. Dreams could get you killed. It could kill your spirit long before a bullet took you. She bit down into her lip hard, forcing her eyelids shut so that the moisture she felt building behind her eyes wouldn't escape. What her head wanted didn't matter anymore. Her heart had already decided against her. She was lost to him. It had snuck up on her and every time they lay together, every time he held her and kissed her. She was falling deeper.

There was no escape.

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**Notes: **And I'm done. I beat the return! Roll on next week please. I can't wait to see what they do with "Escape". Thank you to each on of you who were so supportive and enthusiastic about this story. I've had a great time sharing it with you and reading your responses. Also, last but not least, many thanks to my awesome beta **auntyk** this would not have been half as true to the characters as I wanted it to be without her.


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